Christmas Idea #13 – Cookbooks

I love cookbooks!  Even though I tend to be a mix & dump type cook and I always end up tweaking recipes, I still LOVE cookbooks!  I love browsing through them for new recipes to try and new ideas.  Cookbooks also make awesome gifts – for Christmas, Mothers Day, Housewarmings, etc.  Here are some that you might like to consider this holiday season:

The Ultimate Appetizers Book
More than 450 No-Fuss Nibbles and Drinks
Plus simple party planning tips

With The Ultimate Appetizer Book, you'll find the perfect morsels and drinks in one incredible compendium!

No matter what your party style is-casual, dressy, or just plain fun-nothing says "party" like tasty appetizers! The third book in the Ultimate series, following The Ultimate Cookie Book and The Ultimate Slow Cooker Book, this unique recipe collection features more than 450 recipes for everything from super quick dips and snack mixes to elegant pastries and bite-size sweets-all guaranteed to entice any crowd. More than just a collection of recipes, this book is packed with hundreds of inspiring full-color photos and provides all the tools you need to throw a fabulous bash, including helpful hints in on creative presentation ideas, themed party menus using the recipes in the book, lists of versatile ingredients to keep in the pantry, and make-ahead directions to make planning a breeze.

• More than 450 party foods and drinks range from classics and basics, to fun, creative delights
• Recipes include prep times and make-ahead directions to help with planning, inventive ideas on flavor variations, and nutritional analysis
• With over 300 full-color photographs throughout and a bold, colorful design, this is the ultimate appetizer recipe collection, as beautiful as it is practical, and in an affordable, value package

Heidi Says . . . I absolutely LOVE appetizers.  I could make a meal on appetizers!  So, I was thrilled to be offered a chance to preview The Ultimate Appetizers Book.  If you’re throwing a party anytime soon, this book would be perfect!  This book has 15 chapters, dividing it into various appetizer categories:

1. Party Basics
2. Dipping Delights
3. Meatballs & Sliders
4. Wings & Things
5. Seafood Sampler
6. Fanciful Pastries
7. Say Cheese
8. Embellished  Breads
9. Stuffed Morsels
10. Worldly Bites
11. Small Bowls
12. Veggie Twists
13. Crunchy Munchies
14. Fresh Sips
15. Dessert Dazzlers

So, you can see, they’ve thought of everything!  Grab a copy of this book, and throw a party (can you invite me?)

Pillsbury Fast and Healthy Meals
for Kids

A photo-filled collection of kid-friendly recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and ready in 30 minutes or less

Between soccer practice, music lessons, school and work, it's tough to get tasty, healthy meals on the table. But help has arrived! Pillsbury Fast & Healthy Kids Meals provides over 100 delicious recipes that even finicky kids will love, like Berry-Topped Oatmeal Pancakes, Mac 'n Cheese with Broccoli, and Canadian Bacon and Pineapple Pizza. Following the General Mills guidelines for healthy eating, these recipes are low in fat and calories but high in both fiber and flavor.

• Features 110 healthy recipes for every meal of the day, including snacks and desserts
• Special features in each chapter reveal handy information like how to pack a healthy lunchbox and making a salad bar at home, while the introduction covers the basics of childhood nutrition
• Tips throughout the book provide additional information about the recipes, and the Doughboy shows how kids can help out in the kitchen
• Includes 60 full-page color photos in an easy-to-use lay-flat format

With Pillsbury Fast & Healthy Kids Meals, parents will finally have an easy way to show kids that eating healthy can be fun and delicious.

Heidi Says . . . If you’re trying to share a love of either cooking or cookbooks with your children, this book may very well be just the place to start! Gracie has very much enjoyed browsing this cookbook, selecting meals to prepare, and making lists of the items she will need to prepare them.  That’s home economics at its best right there!  I love all the bright, colorful pictures.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever actually confessed this on my blog --- but I have a MAJOR THING for the Pillsbury Doughboy.  (Even Brian knows, so it’s really no big secret!)  Anyway, is he not the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?  So, to have his picture on the front of this cookbook makes it all the more special. 

NOTE: I received free copies of these cookbooks for my use and honest review. I was not compensated in any other way.