Seriously Simple Holidays: Recipes and Ideas to Celebrate the Season [Paperback]

Diane Rossen Worthington (Author), Noel Barnhurst (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 13, 2007

When the joys of the season are upon us, wouldn't it be great to enjoy them for once? Best-selling author Diane Rossen Worthington offers all the secrets for entertaining with no stress, just lots of style. Essential equipment, suggestions for setting up an in-home bar, great homemade gift ideas, knowledgeable wine and cheese pairing notes from wine expert Peter Marks, and plenty of simple and simply delicious menus cover any occasion from Rosh Hashanah to Thanksgiving to New Year's. From drinks and appetizers to entres and desserts, each festive recipe is designed to reduce prep time andstreamline cooking techniques, so hosts can spend more time at the party and less in the kitchen.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Diane Rossen Worthington is the author of 18 cookbooks, including Seriously Simple, The Taste of the Season, and The New California Cook. She lives in Southern California.

Noel Barnhurst's photography has appeared in magazines and cookbooks, including Seriously Simple. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (September 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811854809
• ISBN-13: 978-0811854801
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #462,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seriously Simple Thanksgiving, January 9, 2009

By 

R. Dyson (Mount Shasta CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Seriously Simple Holidays: Recipes and Ideas to Celebrate the Season (Paperback)

I bought this to simplify a Thanksgiving dinner for twenty we were cooking in a rented house with unknown kitchen supplies. Every dish turned out great. The recipes are simple, but the results look and taste like things that require far more effort. Highly recommended.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious food for entertaining at many fall and winter holidays., July 18, 2009

By 

songlover1 (Anchorage, AK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seriously Simple Holidays: Recipes and Ideas to Celebrate the Season (Paperback)

You buy this thinking you are just going to simplify your life, but the food is REALLY good. I thought "holidays" might only mean Christmas, but it also included Halloween, Hanukah, Thanksgiving, New Years, so you can entertain for many audiences with effort concentrated on a few good ingredients. My personal favorite recipes, in no particular order, were Polenta with Butternut Squash and Chestnuts (which the author suggests you could stir Marscapone Cheese into); Baked Pasta with Tomato, Red Pepper, and Sweet Italian Sausage; Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie with Caramel Sauce; Cranberry and Pear Custard Crisp; and Pumpkin Waffles. There is a tremendous variety. The recipes give you a lot of bang for fewer ingredients and invested time than you would expect given the results. Many recipes have notes on how to prepare all or part of the dish in advance and variations that you could try. There are also menu suggestions in the front using recipes in the books, so that you could have a very successful dinner party, cocktail party, etc. only preparing a few dishes. I found it a very enjoyable cookbook.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seriously Delicious!, November 27, 2009

By 

Ivy Kim (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Seriously Simple Holidays: Recipes and Ideas to Celebrate the Season (Paperback)

Incredible and delicious recipes are found in this book. I happened to pick it up for $5 at a store's endcap and what a steal! I had read the two Amazon customers' 5-star reviews as well before using the book, and now I'm also submitting my 5-star review to confirm them! I loved her advance preparations section which immensely helped with time management leading up to the big holiday. And also loved her suggested Holiday menu plans and tips.

When some of my proper relatives came over for Thanksgiving, they promptly lost their manners. They asked us if they could tear at the turkey before anyone else. We had left the roast open on the dining table to cool. haha. Then as soon as we brought each dish out they started to ravage at it like madmen and there were much oohs and ahhs about the taste of each dish. No complaints whatsoever. This recipe book has seriously elevated our Thanksgiving to the nth degree. Thanks Diane Rossen Worthington, you're simply awesome! Here are the dishes we made and all of them were excellent: Baked Brie with Toasted Almonds and Cranberry Glaze, Crispy Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates, Spicy Jalapeno Cornbread, Perfect Mashed Potatoes, Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce with Satsumas, Roast Turkey with Maple-Balsamic Butter Rub, Cornbread, Oyster and Red Pepper Stuffing, Brisket with Figs and Butternut Squash, Pan-seared Sea Scallops with Tomato-Vodka Sauce and Apple Clafouti. We're now looking forward to using this book for our Christmas in a month!