Customer Reviews

Christmas 101: Celebrate the Holiday Season - From Christmas to New Year's

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

CHRISTMAS 101, a parallel volume to last year's THANSKGIVING 101, covers all aspects of the holidays, in addition to actual food preparation. There are many tips on how to get all of it--cleaning, decorating, card-writing, grocery shopping, cookie baking, pre-holiday entertaining, the Big Days themselves--all done, while remaining a sane inhabitant of this planet.

This is a book dedicated to good food and good times. Rogers recalls many nostalgic moments from his own lifetime of holidays which will likely evoke the same feelings in most readers. He provides authentic recipes from the past, and also addresses present-day concerns. Offerings include: classic egg nog, as well as a no-raw-egg version; traditional Jell-O salad, plus a more contemporary Roasted Beet & Apple Salad; some popular turkey and ham entrees, plus a fantastic tri-color lasagna. The baking recipes--particularly those involving cookies--are thorough, detailed, and guaranteed to produce spectacular results (and "Cinnamon Stars" is one of the very best I have come across in a long time). Above all, the recipes emphasize do-ahead steps, and rely on readily available ingredients, so that you won't find yourself in the grocery store at 11:30 p.m. on the biggest New Year's Eve of our lifetimes, in search of some exotic item for an hors d'oeuvre recipe.

Rogers is no Martha Stewart, with hot glue gun in hand. Although he provides many successful strategies for decorating, they are straight-forward and easily accomplished. Just as in his last book, he examines the history of certain customs (Christmas punch, holiday cookies, champagne & caviar), and gives some insight into some of today's most popular traditions. His recommendations for Christmas CDs and classic must-see holiday videos are right on target.

It's only October, so take a deep breath, do some reading now, and then sit back to thoroughly enjoy the final holiday season of the 1900s!

This is a wonderful book! The Thanksgiving book was so great that I did not think it could get any better but it did. The recipes are simple yet elegant and fun to serve. There are ideas for all kinds of breads, cakes, and main dishes for all the holidays. Everyone should get this book. Also, if you have any questions about anything in the book, Rick Rogers has a superb web site. Check it out! You can e-mail and ask questions, and they will be answered!

Author Rick Rodgers, already the master of all things associated with Thanksgiving has now given us a terrific Christmas/New Year's guide. His practical suggestions include everything from setting up the perfect holiday cocktail party to getting the cards written (you don't really need to do them ALL at one sitting!), to planning for Christmas & New Year's--both Eve & Day celebrations. The recipes are uncomplicated, and generally use ingredients that are already on-hand. There's lots of nostalgia here & some great suggestions for music (the Ella Fitzgerald CD is the best!). Christmas set-up in our house has already been smoother & more relaxing because of this book.

Like many people, I often dread the holidays because of the time demands. Not only is this a great cookbook (we've already tried some of the soups on some pretty chilly nights here on the East Coast), but it also gives solid ideas on how to manage your time during this season. I especially liked some of Rodgers' "time-out" suggestions for adults--little hints to make us stop and savor a moment or two. I know that this will get us through Christmas as well as a busy New Year's Eve & Day!

Having Rodgers' Thanksgiving 101 book I decided to try his Christmas 101 book, too. This is not, nor is it meant to be the all-encompassing cookbook for Christmas. It is a rather slight book at under 200 pages.

More important than the actual recipes is Rodgers' advice and tips on planning your feast, party, decorating tips for the table, music, along with great ideas for new tradtions and ways to spice up old traditions.

Whether it's your first holiday party or you're an old pro looking for new entertaining ideas, Christmas 101 Offers luscious fare with Rick's easy style, including Focaccia with Smoked Salmon and Marscapone, Seafood Chowder with Fresh Herbs, and Peppermint Profiteroles. Classic holiday recipes for prime rib, goose, gingerbread cookies, wassail, and Hoppin' John are covered as well.

Fun to read!

This book has the best cookie recipes! I get rave reviews on the cookies, and the fruitcake is out of this world. people (well, those who like fruitcake) literally beg for the recipe. I have not tried many of the entrees or sides, but they look good. The best things about this book are the great instructions, the timetables, and tips. You know all you need to know about a recipe before you try it. highly recommended!

I host Christmas at my home every year for my extended family and I think this book is terrific. It helps with the planning and suggests time-tables. The recipes are wonderful!

This book was purchased for my daughter who is setting up her first household. She was thrilled with it. It is has information on decorating, ideas for entertaining and lots of recipes.

Recieved this book just the other day. So many recipes I will never use espically for Christmas like Black-eyed pea stew, or Parsnip and leek soup. No pictures haven't found a recipe yet I would actually make for Christmas maybe the cookies? I don't think this book is simple to make it stress free. Not what I expected.I have a ton of better Christmas cookbooks thought I would give this one a try and sorry I did. I could not recommend this book.

I am disappointed in this book because it is *not* a general book about Christmas preparation, but a recipe book only. With a name like Christmas 101, and what I read in the book description, I was expecting not only recipes but perhaps an overall Christmas timetable, tips on selecting a tree as well as thoughts on natural vs artificial, information on different cultures' traditions other than strictly food based. This is a nice enough recipe book, but is is now what I expected, or wanted.