Holiday Entertaining

The Gift of Food
Would you like to surprise your friends and family this season with a homemade gift of food? For ideas, pick up a copy of The Good, the Bad, & the Yummy, Adina Steiman's guide to tailoring food to your mood, published by Running Press. Steiman, a food writer and graduate of Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, shares some inspired gift-giving possibilities, or, as she calls them, Fancy-Pants treats, from Chocolate-Dipped Figs to Apricot Thyme Chutney. Along with the recipes for these delectables, she offers tips for personalizing your gift and wrapping it creatively. (www.runningpresscooks.com)

Entertaining Rescue
Need some tips and recipes for holiday entertaining? Do you know how to carve a turkey or come up with a side dish that doesn't involve a can of condensed soup?

Two new books from William Morrow Cookbooks will arm you with all the knowledge and recipes you need to organize a party menu for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner and cook to please a crowd, whether you're a novice or a veteran party host Thanksgiving 101: Celebrate America's Favorite Holiday with America's Thanksgiving Expert, by cooking teacher Rick Rodgers, prepares you to throw a traditional feast, set a vegetarian table, or experiment with regional favorites that may be departures from your holiday customs. Christmas 101: Celebrate the Holiday Season from Christmas to New Year's, also by Rodgers, offers more than 100 recipes that can get you through an entire season of Sundays and special occasions. Not all the recipes are diet-friendly, so choose wisely. (www.harpercollins.com)

You've got the turkey covered, but what about the deserts? You won't need to look farther than Marcel Desaulniers' I'm Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas for ideas. Perhaps no one knows chocolate or desserts more than Desaulniers, and he'll have
you dreaming, indeed, of chocolate. It's by no means a collection of especially moderate or nutritious sweets, but there are enough not-so-decadent options to
keep you and your health-conscious guests from gasping.
(www.wiley.com)

Now that you've got all the information you need to plan the menu and prepare the dishes with panache, don't overlook the table. If you want to make a splash with an impeccably set formal dinner table, let Lynn Rosen be your guide. Her guide to table style and etiquette, Elements of the Table: A Simple Guide for Hosts and Guests, will let you pass muster with even the most discerning or critical guest. (www.clarksonpotter.com)