'tis the Season for... Scrumptious Eating!

You have all of your gifts sorted out.  Now it's time to work on the holiday menu!

Holiday Candy & Confections

One of my favorite parts of any holiday is the selection of treats that are available.  From candy to pastry and from sweet to savory, the broad selection is my downfall.  If you have, or know someone who has, the same problem, we have a number of cookbooks for you to indulge yourself with.  One which focuses more on candy-type sweets is A baker's field guide to holiday candy & confections:  Sweet treats all year long, by Dede Wilson.  Local author Beatrice Ojakangas has a book for those who love to bake:  The great holiday baking book.  These titles and others in our collection include recipes both typical to US traditions and from traditions which may be less familiar.

A Year of Holidays

No matter how much I may wish it, I can not survive on treats alone.  Fortunately, we have many cookbooks that cover different holiday menu items.  Paula Deen celebrates!:  Best dishes and best wishes for the best times of your life has menu ideas for several different celebrations, including Christmas and New Year's.  Ree Drummond's The pioneer woman cooks:  A year of holidays also has menu ideas for many different holidays.

Zinio

In the event we don't have a cookbook with the recipe you need, we can find it for you either from another library or using one of the many online resources we subscribe to. For example, did you know we have digital access to several food and cooking-related magazines on Zinio?  Using your library card, you can read any or all of nine magazines, from The beer connoisseur to Weightwatchers. 

Ebsco Host Databases

We have other online resources, as well, which you can use to find the perfect recipe.  For example, if you are looking for Hanukkah foods, you can search Ebsco Host's MegaFile.  The results will provide recipes from many different magazines and journals.

Gift in a Jar

If you are in the mood for food but still looking for gifts to give, why not consider giving a Gift in a Jar?  Delectable delicacies can be found in Bars and brownies:  Recipes to make your own gifts.  As indicated by the title, this book's focus is on treats.  The neat idea behind it, though, is that you put the ingredients in jars and give them, with instructions, to your family and friends so that they can enjoy fresh goodies without all the work of collecting ingredients.  We also have Soups:  Recipes to make your own gifts, for those who appreciate soup during the cold season.  


Let us know what should be cooking at your house, and we'll help you make it so!

--Susan Hoppe, Reference Services Librarian