Holidays Books - Page 3

Cooking Light Holiday Cookbook (Cooking Light)

Amazon Price: $24.77 List Price: $34.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Oxmoor House Amazon Marketplace: 50 new & used starting at $1.99

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Special Diet -> Low Fat
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Special Occasions -> Holidays

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

"Eat Smart, Be Fit, Live Well." 5 out of 5 stars.
34 of 35 people found this review helpful.

Lushly photographed and filled with stunning winter holiday recipes from breakfast and cocktail parties to the Big Events themselves, this cookbook features lighter versions of many old favorites and some great ideas for reducing the fat in your own recipes. Ingredient substitutions, decorating tips, make ahead meals, and even wine and food pairings are included, as the editors make the holidays a joyful time, foodwise, even for those on special diets. Clearly printed nutritional information appears with each recipe so that those on special diets, such as cardiac patients, can choose among the many selections.

Many appetizer recipes feature veggie-based dips and salsas--Tomato Crostini, Tex-Mex Black Bean Dip, and Warm Mushroom Spread all feature less than 1 g. of saturated fat per serving. "Creamy" dips use lower fat cream cheese to keep these appetizers at about 1 g. of fat per serving. One appetizer made with phyllo dough, usually a no-no for those on diets, uses butter-flavored cooking spray between the layers, instead of butter, to save fat and calories. Vietnamese spring rolls and Chicken/Lemon Pot-Stickers, use rice paper and won ton wrappers, lighter than pastry.

"Light" does not mean "dull" here. Pistachio-Crusted Rack of Lamb, Individual Beef Wellingtons (using phyllo sprayed with cooking spray, instead of puff pastry), or Ultimate Roasted Turkey, with gravy, are all on the menu. A wide assortment of side dishes--soufflés, Caramelized Onions, Potato-Gorgonzola Gratin, Pumpkin-Sage Polenta, and even Leek, Potato, and Caraway Latkes with Spiced Sour Cream--perk up the plate and the palate. The Salad section is outstanding, with unusual combinations of ingredients--Pear, Walnut, and Blue Cheese Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette is a knockout. Fruit relishes, chutneys, salsas, and even candied cranberries are used as garnishes.

The editors have gone "all out" in the dessert section. The traditional pecan pie is here--regular pecan filling inside a lowfat, cookie-like crust--along with Vanilla or Pumpkin Cheesecake (made with 2 ½ pounds of reduced fat and non-fat cream cheese), gorgeous cakes made with less fat and fewer egg yolks, and pies with lowfat gingersnap, graham cracker, or vanilla wafer crusts. Over forty recipes are included for use as gifts--Apricot Amaretto Bread, Cranberry-Hazelnut Coffee Cake, Orange-Pistachio Baklava.

With over 500 tasty recipes offering a huge selection of elegant and even exotic recipes, this is a cookbook useful to everyone who is health-conscious, including vegetarians. Twenty pages of meatless main dishes and a vegetarian Hanukkah menu are included. A terrific compilation of healthier preparations for traditional holiday foods, this is a cookbook that has it all--and that will be used long past the holidays. n Mary Whipple

Editorial Review:

This is one present you’ll definitely want to open early—the first-ever holiday cookbook from Cooking Light magazine, the world’s most widely read food magazine. No one likes to scrimp around the holidays—now you can stay on track and still dazzle friends and family with memorable holiday feasts and delectable treats. Share the joy with everything you need for seasonal cooking—and less—from Cooking Light.

Features:

* Brighten—and lighten!—with this first-ever holiday cookbook from Cooking Light

* More than 350 seasonal recipes

* Beat holiday stress and save time with super-quick menus and make-ahead meals

* Holiday Helpers special section: serving tips, table settings, decorations, and more

* 50 clever gifts from your kitchen with festive packaging ideas

* Beyond the Bird: Top 10 ways to transform leftover turkey

A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking

Marcy Goldman

List Price: $27.50 By: Broadway Amazon Marketplace: 10 new & used starting at $30.65

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Baking -> Bread
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Baking -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Here at last is the first lovingly assembled, comprehensive collection of delicious, fail-proof baked goods--for the Jewish holidays and throughout the year--compiled and interpreted by Marcy Goldman, a professional baker who is also a professional writer on food.  

Even if we don't have time to bake on a regular basis, holidays are something different--special occasions that encourage us to pull out the cake pans and present our family and friends with a gift of homemade love.  And this is particularly true of the Jewish holidays, which are so centrally focused on special foods--and, of course, special desserts.

From the round raisin challah that symbolizes the sweetness and continuity of life for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, to triangular, jam-filled hamantaschen for Purim, to a Chanukah dreidel cake, to the best flourless Passover cakes in the world, Marcy Goldman offers recipes that are traditional as well as those with an innovative flair.

Jewish or European-style baked goods--coffee cakes, strudels, cheesecakes, rugelach--are so universally popular that they have become as American as apple pie, and now, with A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking, every home baker will have access to the secrets of how to make them.  As if she were a mother passing down techniques to her own children, Marcy Goldman's voice is warm, encouraging, and inviting, as well as authoritative, clear, and knowledgeable.  She provides not only detailed instructions that yield delicious baked goods every time, but also a wealth of information on holiday customs and history.

Here is, indeed, a treasury to be welcomed by those who grew up with such recipes, those who are seeking to reestablish traditional holiday celebrations in their own home, and those who simply want to know the secrets for producing a wide range of delicious cakes, pastries, and pies.

Thanksgiving 101: Celebrate America's Favorite Holiday with America's Thanksgiving Expert

Rick Rodgers

Amazon Price: $12.76 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: William Morrow Cookbooks Amazon Marketplace: 44 new & used starting at $2.79

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Special Occasions -> Holidays

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Perfect for Both Newbies & Veterans 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I bought this cookbook 7 years ago when faced with the prospect of hosting my first big holiday meal after getting married. I appreciated all the step-by-step directions for cooking basics like turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc. Thanks in a large part to Rick Rodgers, I survived cooking for my in-laws!

It's still one of my most-used cookbooks for entertaining because it's got such great recipes. I always get compliments on the dishes I make from this book.

Editorial Review:

Every fourth Thursday of November, Americans open their homes to friends and families. But when was the last time most of us made dinner for such a big crowd? With Thanksgiving 101 by your side, preparing for the holiday will be a pleasure. With step-by-step instructions for classic Thanksgiving dishes, as well as new twists on old favorites, this book will become gravy-stained in its first outing. Whether you're looking for new ways to cook turkey; traditional trimmings, chutneys, or chowders; a vegetarian entrée; or fresh ideas for regional classics, including Cajun-or Italian-inspired tastes, Thanksgiving 101 serves up a delicious education for novice and experienced cooks alike. And cooks will turn to these dishes all year long whenever they are throwing a big party.

With foolproof recipes, detailed menu timetables, and down-to-earth advice, Thanksgiving 101 is the holiday cook's best friend.

Gooseberry Patch Christmas (Gooseberry Patch) (Gooseberry Patch)

Gooseberry Patch

Amazon Price: $15.96 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Leisure Arts,Inc Amazon Marketplace: 32 new & used starting at $2.50

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Special Occasions -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Special Occasions -> Holidays

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Can I give it 0 stars?? Save your money 1 out of 5 stars.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful.

Not one "original" idea that I havent seen in every magazine or craft book for years. Most of the items were scrapbooking related, which was little things like tags and noting worth duplicating.

I love Gooseberry Patch, especially their Christmas books (I own them all), but this one has no originality, no spark, nothing that is worth even trying to do for a project. Usually there is at least ONE project that has me excited and running to the craft store, but this one was just boring and dull.

Save your money and just check it out at the library.

Editorial Review:

Delicious, old-fashioned recipes, handmade holiday gifts, and ideas for frosty fun! This book is bursting with an impressive selection. For entertaining, there is A Special Invitation Dinner where guests bring foods to complement the main dish, a Stack-It-Up Breakfast, a Festive Tree-Trimming Feast, goodies for which It All Starts With a Cake Mix, Transforming Traditions for friends who are far from home, and Taste-Tempting Treats such as Amazing Double Chocolate Truffles. Home decor themes include a wintry landscape with cool red and blue tones, inviting entryway ideas, jolly Santa accents, merry mantels, and plans for an ornament exchange party. There also are papercrafting projects by the dozens, including Artist Trading Cards, greeting cards, and stationery sets. Easy-to-make gifts include a woven scarf, an embellished manicure set, and a reindeer towel with bath mitt.

Cover & Bake (Best Recipe)

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: America's Test Kitchen Amazon Marketplace: 49 new & used starting at $13.26

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Baking -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Professional Cooking -> Quantity

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

With Cover & Bake, the editors at Cook’s Illustrated set out to revive the venerable casserole. From Turkey Tetrazzini and Chicken Divan to Crab Imperial and Hoppin’ John, casserole cooking represents the ingenuity and practicality of the American cook. In Cover & Bake, the editors set out to investigate the old standards and in the process have re-imagined the art of the one-dish meal to meet the demands of today’s cook.

Here you will find classic assemble and bake casseroles like Macaroni and Cheese and Creamy Chicken and Rice as well as more inventive dishes like Mediterranean Chicken Bake and Polenta Casserole with Italian Sausage. We’ve experimented with techniques that allow you to cook everything in just one pot where possible, avoiding the need for hours of preparation and clean up just to get a casserole in the oven. And nearly every recipe can be made ahead allowing busy cooks to serve these wholesome dishes on a busy weeknight.

Looking beyond what most people consider to be a casserole, the editors offer a rather original take on the subject with inventive skillet "casseroles," slow cooker meals that are really worth serving, pot pies with multiple topping options (many of which you can make ahead), oven braises and stews that cook in a low oven for hours so you won’t have to stand over a hot stove, and breakfast and brunch dishes that can be assembled the night before.

In addition, this book contains all the relevant tastings and testings conducted in America’s Test Kitchen. Learn which casserole dish is our hands-down favorite. Are all storage containers created the same? Want to know which slow cooker has the best combination of features?

In short, Cover & Bake is filled with 200 one-dish meals for everyday cooking. We’ve made these casseroles a whole lot better tasting while making sure that what everyone loves about casseroles remains – the fact that they are practical one-dish meals that require a minimum of fuss and last minute attention.

Nantucket Open-House Cookbook

Sarah Leah Chase

Amazon Price: $10.85 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Workman Publishing Company Amazon Marketplace: 85 new & used starting at $0.46

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Reference
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Baking -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Sarah Leah Chase, co-author of The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook, knows that summer means long, lazy days of fun and getting together, of throwing the doors open and inviting over everyone you know for the pleasures of good company and good food. Now, cooks everywhere can create more than 250 of the recipes that have drawn hungry visitors and residents to her popular gourmet shop, Que Sera Sarah on Nantucket Island.

The author's eclectic combinations center on the freshest of seafood and produce, and induce hearty summer appetites to indulge in a unique chilled clam chowder, a fresh beachfront salad of Scallops with Orange and Chervil Vinaigrette, savory empanadas and turnovers, or a beautifully grilled bluefish redolent with lavender. Sumptuous meals must end with the proper desserts: an extravagantly rich Chocolate Bombe or a fruit tart glistening with a fortune of fresh raspberries and blueberries.

Complete with just-baked muffins and breads for breakfasts best enjoyed in a huge wicker chair and cool summer drinks for whiling away long afternoons, Nantucket Open-House Cookbook is for anyone who wants to make the most of fair-weather dining all year round.

Over 214,000 copies in print.

Passover by Design: Picture-perfect Kosher by Design recipes for the holiday (Kosher by Design) (Kosher Design)

Susie Fishbein

Amazon Price: $21.59 List Price: $29.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Mesorah Pubns Ltd - Model: PBDH Amazon Marketplace: 19 new & used starting at $18.50

Buy at Amazon.com

Features:

• Binding: hardcover
• Weight: 2.40 lbs
• Dimensions: 8 1/4" x 9 5/8"

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Special Diet -> Kosher
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Special Occasions -> Holidays

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

There is Mighty Fine Eating Between These Pages 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I am not religious, observe no conventions other than exchanging gifts at Christmas. That said, why am I writing a review of this book? For me there is only one reason for owning a cookbook and that is the recipes inside. Either they're good or they're not. You cook up a dish, if it's tasty, if your family or company like it, then you try another, then another. If you and yours get on with the recipes, then you have a winner, if not, well then you don't.

This book is a winner, but before I go into the recipes, I'd like to say that the book is elegantly done, the photographs are mouthwateringly gorgeous and the book has been laid out very professionally. You can tell Ms. Fishbein, Mr. Uher and their publishers really cared about this project.

But do the recipes pass muster? Yeah, I gotta say they do. My first outing with this book was the Meat and Potato Roll. It was easy to do, so easy that I wondered why it was in a cookbook. I made it without a hitch and it was divine. So a couple days later I decided to try something a bit more complicated and did the Portobello Stacks with Honey Balsamic Ketchup for a starter and jeepers were they ever good. This was something I never would have thought of making by myself and now it's something I'll be making for years to come. That alone makes this book a gem as far as I'm concerned.

But wait! There's more. The Caramelized Parsnip Carrot Soup is simply to die for, as are the Turmeric Matzo Balls. You know in my wildest of wildest dreams I never would have thought I'd be doing Matzo Balls, but I'm into this cookbook now and I can't get out. I suppose one of the reasons for my captivity is the photographs. One look and you're drooling. You just gotta start cooking.

In conclusion, this book passes with flying colors the only test a cookbook should have and that's the recipes inside it. Follow these recipes and you'll please not only your family and company, but yourself as well. There is mighty fine eating between these pages and I'll be using this cookbook for years to come.

Editorial Review:

Mesorah publications pbdh passover by design. it is picture-perfect kosher by design recipes for the holiday.

Southern Living Christmas Cookbook

Amazon Price: $23.96 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Oxmoor House Amazon Marketplace: 52 new & used starting at $2.35

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Regional & International -> U.S. Regional -> South
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Special Occasions -> Christmas & Hanukkah

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Incredible recipies 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

This is one of my favorite cookbooks, it contains many of my favorite deserts such as the Italian cream cake ,Coconut-Chocolate-Almond Cheesecake,Chocolate Truffle Cake,etc.. I also love the fact that the author included lots of color photos giving visual cooks like myself an idea of what the finished product should look like. For those who are tired of making the same boring holiday meals,I would definitely encourage you to buy this cookbook.

Christmas Pleasures 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 9 people found this review helpful.

I am very pleased with this purchase. The photos are so wonderful and makes one feel so relaxed and into the Christmas spirit. Have already tried a couple of the recipes and the family thoroughly enjoyed them.
Thanks to Southern Living for another wonderful Christmas Book!

Editorial Review:

Pretty enough to put out on the coffee table, the Southern Living Christmas Cookbook is sure to win the hearts of the world+s most discriminating cooks. Packed with scrumptious recipes, decorating tips, and entertaining know-how, its innovative holiday fare includes breakfast -anytime,+ Christmas munchies, and add-a-dish recipes for surprise guests. Sumptuous photography and stunning presentations make this handsome volume a pleasure to read, a pleasure to hold, and a pleasure to hand down for generations to come.

Test Kitchen Favorites: The 2007 Companion Cookbook to the Hit TV Show (America's Test Kitchen)

Amazon Price: $23.07 List Price: $34.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: America's Test Kitchen Amazon Marketplace: 52 new & used starting at $9.63

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Regional & International -> U.S. Regional -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Special Occasions -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

another great, but slightly flawed, cookbook from ATK 5 out of 5 stars.
16 of 16 people found this review helpful.

America's Test Kitchen is similar to Consumer Reports, but for food. They will try a recipe 100 times, with every variation possible, experimenting with ingredients and techniques, until they can give you an informative article and a winning recipe.

I have tried about 14 recipes from this book and every one has been terrific. The carbonnade has a more complex flavor than carbonnade I ate in Belgium! We've also enjoyed the chicken parmesan, fish and chips, , chicken kiev, the pepper-crusted filet mignon (with a fantastic cherry-Port reduction), , stir fried chicken, hot and sour soup, potstickers and buttermilk coleslaw. And the strawberry cream cake is gorgeous and delicious. I am so confident in ATK's recipes that I've made a recipe for the first time when company was coming over, and it was wonderful.

Articles are supplemented with terrific sidebars that typically rate ingredient brands, compare kitchen tools or show a technique.

My only complaint about the whole series of ATK books is that they are organized idiosyncratically (sorry, but that is anathema to a librarian!) and have extremely poor indexes. For example, I knew the recipe for carbonnade was in the 2007 book. I looked in the index -- nothing under "carbonnade", nothing under "beef"! So I went to the table of contents. Nothing about carbonnade, but a chapter called "Best Beef Stew" -- could that be it? Luckily, yes, but that is no way to run a cookbook!

You cannot go wrong with these great books -- consistently reliable and delicious recipes.

Christmas With Southern Living 2006 (Christmas With Southern Living)

Amazon Price: $23.96 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Oxmoor House Amazon Marketplace: 52 new & used starting at $2.99

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Regional & International -> U.S. Regional -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Regional & International -> U.S. Regional -> South

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Not Up To Snuff 3 out of 5 stars.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Like many of you, I collect these books year after year. This year was very disappointing. The book really is mainly recipes. I don't buy them for that, although the few I try are good. I buy this book mainly for the decorating and gift ideas. This year the book is really lacking in them. In years past they've shown how to decorate the outside of your house, the mantle, the table, and just about anywhere in a house that you could put a decoration. This year you basically have one mantle. That's it. Sorry, this book had me saying to myself, "I paid full price for this!!"

If you really want this book, buy it used or look at it first in the library before you make your decision.

Editorial Review:

Readers flock to this gorgeous book year after year because it’s always filled with fresh ideas for fun-filled Christmas celebrations—in that special Southern Living way. Decorating, crafting, gift giving, cooking, party planning—they’re all here, with tips and tricks that will have family and friends thinking you’ve been preparing for months.