Season's Greetings: Cooking and Entertaining for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's (Paperback)

by Marlene Sorosky (Author), Geoffrey Nilsen (Photographer) "ALTHOUGH the hustle and bustle of crowded stores at Christmastime may add to the holiday spirit, it's nice to keep your exposure to it at..." (more)
Key Phrases: boiling water canner, giblet stock, ice mold, Grand Marnier, Chocolate Cream Cheese, Ginger-Honey Butter (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
"Putting up" preserves is one of the oldest culinary traditions, and Lupi, an Italian food editor, and Sorzio, head chef of a Venice hotel, serve up the gamut of centuries-old favorites, including orange-and-lemon marmalade, grape jelly, raspberry preserves, dried apples, canned tomatoes and pickles. This exhaustive guide, accompanied by tempting color photographs and illustrations, also offers less standard items like curried leeks, citron marmalade, fruit preserved in liquor and syrup, and with flowers (rose petal and apple preserves), and vegetable preserves (carrot and tomato jams). A small caveat is that some of the more exotic fruits and vegetables are difficult to procure. Beginners will enjoy the valuable preserving tips and sample step-by-step recipes (grapes in grappa, artichokes in light brine, cauliflower in oil, button mushrooms in vinegar, sweet-sour onions, etc.).
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"For a holiday party, the advice of the experts is don't try anything new. Stick to the tried and true,' says Marlene Sorosky, author of 'Season's Greetings' and recipe developer for Safeway Stores. Sorosky readily ignores her own advice and rarely repeats herself. 'Though I do have one recipe far an elegant stew with veal quenelles that I've made since 1982,' she admits, 'I use it when entertaining more than anything because it can be made ahead and it's so tasty.'

Start brainstorming for menus at least two weeks prior, Sorosky says, whether you're serving a signature stew or sea bass with black truffles. One food trend is to center a meal around a one-pot dish, such as chile, or a cured ham, which is traditional as well as time saving. The Cured Ham from Hormel Foods is precooked and can be accompanied by something as simple as a glaze made from cranberry sauce, brown sugar, orange juice, cloves, cinnamon, and allspice.

There are two keys to carving and serving a perfect ham. First, have a good, sharp carving knife at the ready...Second, only cut enough ham for your immediate needs. The remaining ham will stay moister if left uncut. In general, you can figure about two servings per pound of bone-in ham and three servings per pound of boneless ham." -- Gourmet

'Tis the Season to Indulge Joyfully
Season's Greetings! The words themselves bring to mind pictures of family gatherings, stores decorated with garlands and lights, traditional holiday songs, beautifully wrapped presents under a tree and, of course, the wonderful and unforgettable smells coming from the kitchen.

It is during this time of year that once-a-year foods are prepared with an extra ounce of love for family and friends.

It doesn't matter whether you're the one planning and cooking the special meal or one of the lucky ones who simply enjoys the scrumptious tastes and smells--there's something about the holiday season that brings childlike excitement to both adult and youngsters.

"Season's Greetings" shows how to carry on holiday traditions in a changing world. For many, this classic cookbook is a tradition in itself. It's a cookbook for novice hosts who wonder how on earth they're going to feed the hordes of hungry relatives and friends. It's a cookbook for busy parents who wonder how to recreate the holiday excitement they remember from their own childhoods.

Marlene Sorosky has created a rich assortment of classic and innovative recipes that will make all your holidays memorable, offering menus that bring them all together, as well as ideas for charming decorations and delectable gifts.

Whether you're longing to recapture that time-honored holiday spirit or to invent some new family customs, you'll find delicious inspirations in "Season's Greetings."

The one great thing about this cookbook is that it serves both the palette and the eyes, for it is beautifully illustrated with fabulous photographs by veteran photographer Geoffrey Nilsen.

The contents covers such topics as: Fruitcakes, spirits, liqueurs and vinegars, pies, tea, holiday buffets, the night before Christmas dinner, and sweets from the sugar plum fairy.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; 2 edition (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811816680
• ISBN-13: 978-0811816687
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #643,560 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific recipes for holiday and party entertaining., November 24, 1997

By A Customer

I immediately went out and purchased this book after attending a party in which the hostess presented a beautiful and tasty appetizer buffet using eight different recipes from Season's Greetings. The recipes are all eye appealing, delicious and in most cases easy to make. Recipes also include make-ahead tips. I highly recommend it for the beginner as well as the seasoned hostess.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Food for lady who has no time to cook, April 16, 2000

By A Customer

I bought this book on sale due to the food pictures in thebook. A person who love cooking usually can tell if the author isgood by looking at the pictures of the final product. What attracted me to get this book was her recipe for pick up drumsticks. That is the most simple recipe I had seen for baking up drumpsticks that looked like they were fried. Other ideas in the book are also great and time saving. Our church always having special holiday dinner or special dinner gets together for rivival meeting nights, etc. It is so hard to finds people who are willing to cook for such large audience. This is a life saver for ladies who are in charge of the food for those special occasion, even for a Chinese church. I had already shared some of the recipes with friends at church and they just can't wait to try them out (This also include busy guys who help their wives out with cooking). I highly recommend you to get a copy of this book. END

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars cook book review, December 23, 2005

By	LauraE. (Illinois) - See all my reviews

I have owned this Holiday cookbook for at least 10 years
and it's fantastic. I am now buying a copy for my parents
'cause they are hooked on a couple of recipes and want their own copy.