As party invitations pile up in the mailbox, Rebecca Rather is up to her elbows in sticky meringue, creamy chocolate, and a sleigh full of savory treats to meet the entertaining needs of her neighbors.In The Pastry Queen Christmas, Rebecca shares nearly 100 traditional recipes reflecting her made-with-love-from-scratch philosophy and the tastes of small-town Texas. Show-off desserts such as Chocolate Cookie Crusted Eggnog Cheesecake, Sticky Toffee Pudding with Brandy Butterscotch Sauce, and Warm Pear Ginger Upside-Down Cake with Amaretto Whipped Cream are the perfect toppers to a family-style feast of Texas Spice-Rubbed Roast Pork, Baked Apple Pear Chutney, Brown Sugar Bacon, and No-Peeking Popovers. Still hungry the next morning? No problem-this country girl does an impressive breakfast, too: Bite-Sized Sticky Buns, Sweet Potato Scones, Cast-Iron Skillet Potatoes, and Mexican Ranch Chilaquiles ought to fill you up.And if you're still looking for excuses to entertain this season, you'll find ooey-gooey baked goods wrapped up as gifts, homemade craft and décor ideas to make your home sparkle, and holiday-worthy menus guaranteed to make your gathering a Texas-sized success. Tree-trimming, cookie decorating, and Santas running down Main Street . . . Christmastime is here.

    With more than 60 fabulous designs for Christmas cookies, plus festive delights for New Year’s and Hanukkah, Cookie Craft Christmas gives you the inspiration and simple instructions you need for batch after batch of deliciously show-stopping holiday cheer.

    Included is classic fare, as well as updated twists on old-time favorites.Let Taste of Home help you plan your holiday parties and menus with this idea-packed cookbook. There are wonderful appetizers and beverages, company-worthy entrees, delectable breads, an array of sides and best of all dazzling, divine sweets—cookies, candies, cakes, pies and more. Included is classic fare, as well as updated twists on old-time favorites. CHAPTERS Intro Festive Appetizers & Beverages Holiday Parties Joyful Brunches Christmas Dinner Menus Merry Entrees Jolly Sides Glorious Breads Yuletide Cookies Heavenly Desserts Candy Sampler Special Gifts of Food Thanksgiving Gathering Indexes Recipes Caramel Cashew Clusters Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles Apple Cider-Glazed Ham Cheese-Topped Roasted Vegetables Colorful Gazpacho Salad Herb-Crusted Prime Rib Old English Trifle Raspberry Lemon Cake Yorkshire Pudding with Bacon and Sage Asiago Chicken Spread Calzone Pinwheels Cherry-Brandy Baked Brie Hot Spiced Wine Shrimp Wrapped in Bacon Warm Pomegranate Punch Cranberry-Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix Orange Pear Jam Cracked Pepper Cheddar Muffins Rustic Pumpkin Bread Almond Pistachio Baklava Caramel Apple Cheesecake Frozen Peppermint Delight Holiday Walnut Torte Au Gratin Potatoes ’n’ Leeks Carrot Cake Doughnuts Overnight Raisin French Toast Golden Roasted Turkey Maple-Oat Dinner Rolls Sausage Raisin Dressing Brown Sugar Cutouts Cherry Kisses Cranberry Shortbread Bars Dark Chocolate Butterscotch Brownies Raspberry Sandwich Spritz 7 WINTER PARTIES The seven winter parties will be organized into 7 themes, with menus and holiday entertaining ideas (e.g. A snowflake invitation) for each. Festive Open House During the busy holiday season, it can be challenging to pick a time and date to get-together with all you friends. An open house allows people to stop by during the day when it’s convenient for them. Let your open house go for 4 to 6 hours and you're sure to enjoy a casual time. Recipes include Roast Beef and Pear Crostini, Apricot Chicken Wings, Grape Juice Sparkler, and Warm Spiced Nuts. Cocktail Party Bring on the bubbly! A spirited evening of festive cocktails and bite-size appetizers awaits. Set up the bar with cranberry mixers and deck the buffet with shrimp and crostini, it’s time to mingle and be jolly with old friends and new. Recipes include Fast Coconut Shrimp, Goat Cheese-Pesto Crostini, Bubbly Cranberry Mixer, and Orange Razzletini. After-Caroling Warm-Up Welcome friends and family inside for a post-caroling meal. This make-ahead feast will be ready to greet you from the cold. Recipes include slow-cooked Round-Up Chili, slow-cooked Tuscan Pork Stew, Rosemary Garlic Focaccia, and Truffle Hot Chocolate Holiday Movie Night Coming to a living room near you, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story, and more. Gather the gang, pass the pizza and cuddle up with a batch of chocolaty fudge cups for screenings of your favorite holiday classics. Recipes include: Pizza Rusticana, Tijuana Tidbits, and Coconut-Almond Fudge Cups. Tea Party No matter how cold it is outside, a hot cup of Chai or a tangy cranberry tea makes it easy to enjoy the warmth of the season. Guests will be served platters of tea sandwiches and petite pastries, as well as poppy seed scones and Vienna Triangles to add a traditional touch to a memorable and merry tea party. Recipes include Vanilla Chai Tea, Petite Apricot Pastries, and Turkey, Gouda & Apple Tea Sandwiches. Let It Snow Celebration If the flurry of holiday duties has you flustered, and the snow’s a fallin’, call up some friends for an afternoon of skiing, sledding, snowshoeing and ice skating. Let It Snow Celebration If the flurry of holiday duties has you flustered, and the snow’s a fallin’, call up some friends for an afternoon of skiing, sledding, snowshoeing and ice skating. Afterwards, warm your bellies with some hearty fare. Recipes include Shredded Pork Sandwiches and Snowmen Cookies. Lunch with Friends: Let’s do lunch! Because there's no better time to show your appreciation for your closet chums than during the holiday season. You can offer a delicious soup, salad and sandwich with a sophisticated holiday twist. Recipes include: Roasted Red Pepper Bisque, Spinach Festival Salad, and Grilled Cheese Supreme.

    The mere mention of baking cookies conjures up memories not just of tantalizing aromas and great tastes but of warm kitchens and good times with family and friends. "Joy of Cooking Christmas Cookies" brings together in a single volume 75 indispensable cookie recipes and more than 25 recipes for holiday extras. That's more than 100 recipes, half of which are brand new. This book also offers a sneak preview of the revision of "Joy of Cooking", the first in more than two decades. Written with clarity, humor, and a dedication to detail that has always set the "Joy of Cooking" apart from all other cookbooks, this book will teach anyone from the person who has never baked a single cookie to the experienced home baker how to turn out a perfect cookie every time. A treasure trove of information, this book contains basic instructions on measuring ingredients, handling and shaping cookie doughs, and decorating cookies, supported by helpful line drawings every step of the way. Recipes include the full range of cookies from the simplest one-pan bar cookies like Chocolate-Glazed Toffee Bars and Scottish Shortbread to those that are dropped onto a cookie sheet (don't miss the new Monster Cookies) to Christmas production numbers like Spritz that are piped through a press. On the familiar side are recipes for chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and sugar cookies. Brief but precise directions ensure that the brownies will be fudgey and moist, the chocolate chips chewy, and the sugar cookies meltingly tender. On the novel side are such irresistible new entries as Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars, Tuscan Almond Biscotti, and Chocolate Mint Surprises.Among this Book's unique features:A full-color photograph of every cookieBrand-new recipes for reduced-fat cookies that taste wonderfulAn easy-to-make gingerbread houseStorage suggestions that help you plan your baking time when conipany is comingRecipes for eggnog, mulled cider and wine, and three kinds of homemade hot chocolateA section on extras-a California fruitcake for the 90s made with dried fruits and nuts, a plum pudding Charles Dickens would have loved, Stollen, Chocolate Truffles, Bourbon Balls, Candied Popcorn, and more.For sparkling additions to any weekday or for a splendid display of special party presentations, the new "Joy of Cooking Christmas Cookies" is the only cookie book you'll ever need.

    She combed through community cookbooks and searched out long-lost heirloom recipes, sure-handedly reworking every recipe in her own kitchen. THE ALL-AMERICAN COOKIE BOOK celebrates regional gems from every corner of the country: Pennsylvania Dutch Soft Sugar Cookies, New York Black and Whites, New Mexican Biscochitos, Key Lime Frosties from Florida, and Mocha Espresso Wafers from Seattle. A sophisticated hazelnut chocolate sandwich cookie that was the closely guarded secret of an Oregon hostess is here, and so is a delightfully crisp (and easy to roll out) old-fashioned gingerbread cookie recreated from a handwritten 1880 notebook. Homespun classics abound: Chocolate Whoopie Pies, Caramel Apple Crumb Bars, Chocolate Chunk Brownies, and Caramel-Frosted Brown Sugar Drops. The collection also features devastatingly delicious contemporary creations like Chewy Chocolate Chunk Monster Cookies and Cranberry-Cherry Icebox Ribbons. For children and adults alike, one of the most exciting chapters will be the lavishly illustrated “Cookie Decorating and Crafts,” which includes everything from simple projects like Christmas cookies and Chocolate Gingerbread Bears to an elaborate gingerbread house. As Nancy Baggett tells the story of America’s heritage, she slips in fascinating bits of history, showing the evolution of our homegrown baking traditions.

    Meat will be gloriously tender, flavors will combine beautifully - and all with minimal attention from the cook. This book celebrates slow cooking in all its forms. Its 200 recipes range from typical slow-cook fare - hearty, warming stews and pot roasts - to more surprising inclusions such as cakes and bakes. Acknowledging the different ways of approaching slow cooking, it contains two methods for each recipe: one using an electric crockpot, the other using a combination of traditional pots, pans, stovetop, and oven. A practical introduction demonstrates techniques step-by-step and provides information on key ingredients and how to use them for the best results. Find everything you need to become a slow-cook expert in this attractive, but great-value, technique resource and recipe book.

    The best news of all is that they're actually easy to make at home. And really, is there anything more scrumptious than a fresh doughnut? In Doughnuts, prepare to be tempted by more than fifty recipes, including Chai, Huckleberry Cheesecake, and Red Velvet. Of course, the cookbook is also full of traditional recipes for favorites like Old-Fashioned Sour Cream and Chocolate Raised doughnuts, as well as vegan and gluten-free recipes. The mouthwatering photography and tasty recipes will leave readers and home cooks drooling and dreaming about doughnuts.

    Each issue of Living has included Martha's favorite recipes, as well as the staff's. For the first time, more than six hundred of these holiday dishes are collected in one volume: The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook. Throughout the ten chapters of recipes, every element of holiday entertaining—from hors d'oedvres and cocktails through main courses and desserts—is covered. Whether you're searching for an eggnog to sip on Christmas Eve, planning to serve a traditional roast goose for Christmas dinner, or putting together a festive brunch for overnight guests, The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook offers a comprehensive array of classics and new favorites to choose from. Guiding you are how-to photographs and illustrations, along with sixty-four pages of beautiful color photographs that will inspire even novices to get into the kitchen and start cooking. The book is filled with tips and techniques, and it also includes a special menu section to help you create the perfect meal.This collection of recipes—ranging from simple to extravagant—makes an indispensable cookbook, not just for Christmas Day, but for the entire holiday season.

    These 100 recipes will enable anyone with a grill to achieve champion barbecue flavor right in their own backyard. The selection features Mills' own secret concoctions and treasured family recipes as well as choice contributions from his pitmaster friends, and it covers all manner of barbecued meat and fish, sauces and dry rubs, as well as the sides, soups, and down-home sweets that complete any great barbecue feast.With its folksy, fun-loving tone and its unique insider's take on a hugely popular--and deeply American--subject, this volume will appeal to barbecue lovers, food mavens, and cooks of all stripes.

    Covers every must-know technique, starting with basic tools and ingredients and finishing with advanced modelling and decorating — essential for both beginner and experienced cake decorators. Step-by-step illustrated instructions cover every stage of sugarcrafting, from cake baking to adding the finishing touches. Includes techniques and inspiration for cupcakes and cookies, as well as full decorated cakes. About The Author: About The Author: Lindy Smith is an established name both as a D&C author and as a major influence on the world of sugarcraft. She teaches and runs workshops all over the world and her comapny, Lindy's Cakes, has expanded significantly over the past year, moving to new purpose-built premises where she employs a small, dedicated team of experts. Lindy is based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, UK.

     This instant holiday classic is packed with 50 recipes, each gorgeously photographed and meticulously tested, along with dozens of decorating and packaging ideas. Filled with reimagined favorites like Giant Molasses Spice Cookies and Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies; confections like Peppermint Bark, Smoked Almond and Cacao Nib Brittle, and Dark Chocolate-Hazelnut Fudge; and detailed instructions for gorgeous gingerbread houses, cookie place cards, and edible ornaments, this is a cookie book like no other. Because the recipes are easy to scale up or down, Holiday Cookies is perfect for cookie exchanges, gift-giving, and just enjoying throughout the season. From a veteran baker and recipe developer, each cookie in this collection is guaranteed to be a stand-out, and destined to become your new Christmas classic.

    Whether made from scratch or with a Betty Crocker mix, these delectable cookies give you as many options as any cookie lover could want.Whether you crave traditional favorites or fancy new ideas, you'll fall in love with these lusciously diverse cookies—from classic peanut butter cookies to unexpected flavors like Pecan-Praline Bacon Bars. Plus, with a special section of gluten-free recipes, every member of the family can get in on the fun.Features more than 180 easy-to-make cookie recipes offering a wide variety of flavors and variations, from fun cookies for kids to sophisticated dinner-party delightsIllustrated with more than 100 full-color photos and step-by-step how-to photos for baking, decorating, and moreIncludes tips and advice on cookie-making basics, from rolling and cutting to baking and frostingYou'll find almost any cookie you can imagine in the Betty Crocker Big Book of Cookies. With these recipes and variations, you'll find the perfect sweet treat for any occasion . . . or no occasion at all.

    Now you can enjoy Tea with Bea in your own home with these easy-to-follow recipes. Cookies & bars are made to enjoy with a cup of tea. Be it lavender shortbread or double chocolate chip cookies, there’s something here to fill the cookie jars. Imagine afternoon tea and what spring to mind are traditional English Scones & Small Cakes. Bea provides the ultimate scone recipe and other sweet fingerfood, such as French macarons. When teatime calls for something special, turn to the Tarts chapter. With recipes for two types of dough, and golden whisky pecan custard pie and key lime pie, you won’t be stuck for ideas. Bea’s key to cake success is a handful of failsafe recipes that she can always rely on. The Cake chapter is devoted to staple recipes which can be embellished or layered to create the dazzling ideas in the Special Cakes chapter. And when only a Cheesecake will do, you’ll find plenty of choice here—from the simple to the sublime.

    Her first book, Skinny Italian, showcased the health benefits of Old World Italian cuisine. Now she returns with 60 more flavorful family recipes straight from Salerno--with an emphasis on preparing, serving, and eating meals with the ones you love. Teresa shares her simple, inexpensive, and "fabulicious" dishes, including: • Secret family recipes: Featuring her Mama's meatballs and her mother-in-law's Ti Amo Tiramisu, the dessert that loves you back.• Celebration cooking: From one-dish feasts to the perfect potluck take-alongs, including entertaining tips for any occasion.• Light lunches: Spotlighting lighter fare, smaller portions, and sensational salads (as well as Panini!).• Kid friendly meals: How to go beyond mac-and-cheese, and get little ones involved in the kitchen.Whether you're packing lunches or fixing a weekend feast, Teresa has just the recipe that will keep your family coming back for more--and living La Bella Vita!

    From a hot and hearty stew for a cold night to a cool, refreshing Vichyssoise for a sizzling afternoon, there's a recipe here for every occasion. Also included are nostalgic classics (like everyone's favorite Chicken Noodle Soup) as well as innovative new creations inspired by the cuisines of the world--from Thai Ginger Chicken to Mexican Seafood. With a wonderful selection of quick bread recipes and a crockpot full of tips and hints to help soup-makers hone their skills, The Big Book of Soups and Stews is the ultimate one-stop comfort food cookbook.