Top 10 Cook Books for Christmas
Last night I went to a Christmas party and discovered the most scrumptious, creamy, bacony, blue-cheesy dip. Seriously, my mouth was happy biting into a cracker loaded with this stuff. My girlfriend is emailing me the recipe today. I could probably find it online, but recipes taste better when given by a friend. Have you noticed it too? The best recipe is one that I've tasted, loved, and then exclaimed, You have to give me this recipe! Or one from a trusted friend who will personally vouch for its deliciousness (Your mother-in-law will go crazy for this!).
Here at The High Calling, we're not giving just our favorite recipes--we are sharing the entire recipe book. And--believe me--we are very serious about food. Whether the foodie on your Christmas list is a vegetarian, seasonal eater, or just loves food...we have something for them.
But hurry now--today is the last day to order on Amazon for delivery by Christmas (standard shipping). You don't want to get caught in the mall on Christmas Eve with all the other bewildered shoppers, do you? What are you waiting for? Get shopping!
1. Silver Palate Cookbook 25th Anniversary Edition by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins
I have it on good authority that this one is worth it for the raspberry pie! The ultimate entertaining cookbook, one reviewer says the Silver Palate helped cement America's burgeoning interest in quality cooking . This new anniversary edition has color photos and is a beautiful book to gift.
2. The I Hate to Cook Book: 50th Anniversary Edition by Peg Bracken and Johanna Bracken
Reviewers rage about the voice Peg Bracken uses to walk readers through her recipes. One of our editors agrees. She says, it is funny and explains things assuming the reader is not knowledgeable and actually a bit inept, which I was...and can still be. The original was written at a time when women were expected to have complete, delicious meals on the table every evening. Readers really seem to enjoy the humor in this one.TheThe
3. The Greek Vegetarian: More than 100 Recipes Inspired by the Traditional Dishes and Flavors of Greece by Diane Kochilas
A favorite of vegetarians, Publisher's Weekly says, Characterized by simplicity and purity of ingredients, these recipes for meat-free dishes promote an encouraging flexibility in terms of substitutions and meal planning that many home cooks will value.
4. Naturally Nutritious—Healthy and Delicious Recipes Using Whole Grains, Coconut Oil, Agave Nectar and Stevia by Dr. Nicole Kurland
Less sugar, less fat, and fewer calories without sacrificing taste. Sounds good to me. Naturally Nutritious also gives good kitchen tips and information on substitutions.
5. Simply in Season Expanded Edition by Cathleen Hockman-Wert and Mary Beth Lind
Of this book, Farmer's Independent Weekly says, A gorgeous full-color cookbook with pages you'll be turning slowly, reading and absorbing as you go. . . . This cookbook makes an occasion out of the season itself. . . In many ways, this cookbook is also a theology of food. It reminds us with every page the meaning and place of food in our lives.
6. More-with-Less Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre
When recommending this one, our family editor says, I love, love, love and I've used it a lot over the years. The authors collected 500 recipes from Mennonite kitchens in this volume that emphasizes simple ingredients, healthy eating, and concern about the food needs of others in the world.
7. Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian: More than 650 Meatless Recipes from Around the World by Madhur Jaffrey
This renowned cookbook author and food writer meticulously researched various cultures and cooking traditions to yield this voluminous collection of meatless recipes. Recipes are explored by ingredient from culture to culture. Cooks will enjoy the variety offered here, as well as the quality.
8. Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods by Renee Loux Underkoffler
L.L. Barkat says, I love Living Cuisine for its information on all kinds of foods...A great resource for anyone beginning the raw food journey. Publisher's Weekly says, the author devotes several hundred pages to descriptions of fruits, vegetables and the other essentials of a raw foods diet; the economic and social effects of eating raw foods; and the health benefits of adhering to such a diet. Many of the volume's recipes make the prospect of eating all raw foods quite appetizing. A gre
9. Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, 15th Edition by Better Homes and Gardens
A classic. And a great gift for the beginner in the kitchen (I'm envisioning this for a college student). This cookbook has been around since 1930, with regular updates, and contains information for beginners as well as seasoned foodies.
10. The Spirit of Food: 34 Writers on Feasting and Fasting Toward God edited by Leslie Leyland Fields
Our new book club selection! Don't forget we start our new book club on January 3! We'll be reading the first five essays of this fine book. That is the entire selection under the On the Way to the Table section. If the chef on your list has a passion for food, he or she will love this book. The essays are deeply moving and explore the role food has in our spiritual lives.
Image by georgia b., used with permission via Flickr. Post by Laura Boggess,
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