All of us have enthusiastic cooks in our lives. Perhaps it’s the person who is
- always asked to bring dessert (me!)
- the first to volunteer on the potluck list
- the friend who reads every cooking magazine published
- the relative who has never repeated a recipe and always wants to try something new
- the person whose enthusiasm currently outstrips their expertise!
This tribe would love a cookbook! Here are a few of my favorites from the past year. I know your family and friends will enjoy them.
1. Art of the Pie
If there is a pie baker in your life (and there should be, oh there should be), you must get them “Art of the Pie,” by Kate McDermott, who is nothing short of a pie whisperer. This is one of the best books written about pies, suitable for both beginners and more experienced bakers alike. Kate teaches Art of the Pie camp several times a year at her own Pie Cottage in Port Angeles, Washington, and has encountered all the anxiety, fear and lack-of-confidence beginning bakers bring to it. She answers it all here, clearly and with her own brand of cheery confidence. You CAN do it, she will show you how, and her perfect crust recipe will make you puff with pride at your own burgeoning skills. Her writing is clear, her instructions easy to understand, and her voice is enthusiastic, imbued with generosity and life lessons. It is pie, and a whole lot more. Hardcover, 352 pages, 75 gorgeous color photos.
2. Orange Appeal: Savory and Sweet
Not everyone is as lucky as I am to have an orange tree in my backyard, but all of us need this book. A whole book celebrating oranges? YES! Doesn’t the author run out of orange-centric recipe ideas? Never! The versatile orange is deeply, fragrantly employed here, from soups and salads to sides and sweets. Orange-Rosemary Wedding Day Chicken won’t need an excuse of nuptials to show up for dinner. Chocolate Orange Marmalade Brownies…just because. Orange Frosty, for when a commercially made Orange Julius isn’t in the cards. And Blood Orange Hummus Vinaigrette for your salad? Yes please. I must have 25 flags in “Orange Appeal” after my first pass through it. Author Jamie Schler comes by the topic naturally, having grown up in Florida, and incorporates the juice, zest and fruit for all sorts of orange varieties in her multi-cultural recipes. She even shows us how to make and use orange “dust.” The New Year is going to be deliciously sunny, as I work my way through this elegant and lovely cookbook. If you can’t wait for your copy to arrive, visit her award-winning food blog Life’s a Feast, in the meantime. Hardcover, 208 pages, filled with color photos.
3. The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen
The subtitle to this book says it all: “150+ Inspirational Low-Carb, High-Fat Recipes to Maximize Your Health.” If you have ever tried a low-carb diet, you know how challenging it can be when the bread cravings hit. Author Carolyn Ketchum became diabetic during one of her pregnancies, and since then has helped to manage it with a LCHF diet, becoming known as the low-carb baking queen in the process, for her popular website All Day I Dream About Food. We turn to her when we need our cheesecake, our brownies, our haystack cookies, and also when we need our Cheesy Spinach Cauliflower Waffles, Roasted Cabbage Wedges with Blue Cheese and Bacon, Brie and Caramelized Onion Stuffed Mushrooms, and the family-pleasing Taco Pie. Are you hungry yet? Carolyn uses fresh, whole-food ingredients and her recipes are free of grains, gluten, and sugar. She’s your friendly guide on the low-carb path, showing you that yes, a delicious dinner awaits, followed by a sweet treat. You hear her voice in your ear — special diets don’t have to be boring, and it is inspiring to see what she can do with almond flour, butter, experience and enthusiasm. If you are toying with LCHF, or are already committed to that way of life, this is the cookbook for you. And this book has the most visually appealing recipe index of all time! Paperback, 384 pages, with beautiful photos of every recipe.
4. Valerie’s Home Cooking
Who doesn’t love Barbara Cooper from “One Day at a Time,” the 1970s-‘80s sitcom about a single mother raising teenage daughters. Charming Valerie Bertinelli played wisecracking Barbara, becoming a household name in the 10 years that show ran. These days, she’s more likely to be asked for a recipe than an autograph, because she’s with us in the kitchen, through her own Food Network series “Valerie’s Home Cooking,” and her co-hosting duties on “Kids Baking Championship.” We’re all the better for it, because this lady can cook! This is a sit-‘n-sip kind of book, with easy-going recipes that take you from Hamburger Helpa and her Tuna Noodle Casserole with Potato Chip Topping to Brown Sugar Sriracha Bacon Bites and Chicken wth Lemon-Wine Sauce. Speaking of lemon, her Lemon Icebox Cake is a lemon curd-lover’s dream. I made it for Thanksgiving, and my family inhaled it! It’s clear she loves to have fun, cook delicious food for her friends and family, and she’s invited you to the party with her. Do yourself a favor and accept her invitation. Hardcover, 272 pages, full-page color pictures of the dishes.
5. Ready or Not! 150+ Make-Ahead, Make-Over, and Make-Now Recipes by Nom Nom Paleo
The second book by the Nom Nom Paleo married team of Michelle Tam (called the “Martha Stewart of Paleo”) and Henry Fong is done in their fresh, trademark, joyous comic book style, with step-by-step recipes that aim to have Paleo followers eating as broadly as possible. The fun comic book panel presentation leaves no questions for beginners, yet charms more experienced cooks, too, to ensure success in the kitchen for all. They make healthy Paleo home cooking do-able, for both the last-minute-what’s-for-dinner crowd and the Type A’s who meal plan a month in advance. “Ready or Not!” speaks to those who want to use their new Instant Pot, who are doing Whole30, who are challenged with allergies or intolerances…they know our struggle is real. This will become a bible for those who want a delicious Paleo life. Me? I’m crushing hard on the Persian Cauliflower Rice. Hardcover, 352 pages, 2,000+ color photos, and meal plans.
6. Treat Yourself: How to Make 93 Ridiculously Fun No-Bake Crispy Rice Treats
Every kid or kid-at-heart on your list needs this one. Who doesn’t like a hilarious crispy rice sweet thing? This is a fun, sort of laugh-out-loud cookbook, a bit of joyful genius in a sometimes grim world. Want your rice crispy treat shaped like a candied apple, emoji, cherry pie or dancing girl? How about bagels and lox (the lox are orange Airheads), sushi, turkey or barbecue grill? The idea came to author Jessica Siskin by accident, and she has since left her fashion job to be a full-time crispy rice treat artist at @mister_krisp (Instagram and Twitter). Yes, that’s a thing now. She invented it! Tuck this in your teenager’s gift bag. Paperback, 304 pages, color photos of every treat.
Now…who do you know who needs and wants a fresh, new, piping hot cookbook?!
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