Cooking Light Holiday Cookbook (Hardcover)

by Heather Averett (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This is one present you’ll definitely want to open early—the first-ever holiday cookbook from Cooking Light magazine, the world’s most widely read food magazine. No one likes to scrimp around the holidays—now you can stay on track and still dazzle friends and family with memorable holiday feasts and delectable treats. Share the joy with everything you need for seasonal cooking—and less—from Cooking Light.

Features:

* Brighten—and lighten!—with this first-ever holiday cookbook from Cooking Light

* More than 350 seasonal recipes

* Beat holiday stress and save time with super-quick menus and make-ahead meals

* Holiday Helpers special section: serving tips, table settings, decorations, and more

* 50 clever gifts from your kitchen with festive packaging ideas

* Beyond the Bird: Top 10 ways to transform leftover turkey

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Oxmoor House (June 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0848730046
• ISBN-13: 978-0848730048
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #248,725 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #65 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Medical > Administration & Medicine Economics > Public Health > Health Care
  #72 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Special Occasions > Holidays
  #93 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Holidays > Christmas

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Eat Smart, Be Fit, Live Well.", October 20, 2005

By	Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

Lushly photographed and filled with stunning winter holiday recipes from breakfast and cocktail parties to the Big Events themselves, this cookbook features lighter versions of many old favorites and some great ideas for reducing the fat in your own recipes. Ingredient substitutions, decorating tips, make ahead meals, and even wine and food pairings are included, as the editors make the holidays a joyful time, foodwise, even for those on special diets. Clearly printed nutritional information appears with each recipe so that those on special diets, such as cardiac patients, can choose among the many selections.

Many appetizer recipes feature veggie-based dips and salsas--Tomato Crostini, Tex-Mex Black Bean Dip, and Warm Mushroom Spread all feature less than 1 g. of saturated fat per serving. "Creamy" dips use lower fat cream cheese to keep these appetizers at about 1 g. of fat per serving. One appetizer made with phyllo dough, usually a no-no for those on diets, uses butter-flavored cooking spray between the layers, instead of butter, to save fat and calories. Vietnamese spring rolls and Chicken/Lemon Pot-Stickers, use rice paper and won ton wrappers, lighter than pastry.

"Light" does not mean "dull" here. Pistachio-Crusted Rack of Lamb, Individual Beef Wellingtons (using phyllo sprayed with cooking spray, instead of puff pastry), or Ultimate Roasted Turkey, with gravy, are all on the menu. A wide assortment of side dishes--soufflés, Caramelized Onions, Potato-Gorgonzola Gratin, Pumpkin-Sage Polenta, and even Leek, Potato, and Caraway Latkes with Spiced Sour Cream--perk up the plate and the palate. The Salad section is outstanding, with unusual combinations of ingredients--Pear, Walnut, and Blue Cheese Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette is a knockout. Fruit relishes, chutneys, salsas, and even candied cranberries are used as garnishes.

The editors have gone "all out" in the dessert section. The traditional pecan pie is here--regular pecan filling inside a lowfat, cookie-like crust--along with Vanilla or Pumpkin Cheesecake (made with 2 ½ pounds of reduced fat and non-fat cream cheese), gorgeous cakes made with less fat and fewer egg yolks, and pies with lowfat gingersnap, graham cracker, or vanilla wafer crusts. Over forty recipes are included for use as gifts--Apricot Amaretto Bread, Cranberry-Hazelnut Coffee Cake, Orange-Pistachio Baklava.

With over 500 tasty recipes offering a huge selection of elegant and even exotic recipes, this is a cookbook useful to everyone who is health-conscious, including vegetarians. Twenty pages of meatless main dishes and a vegetarian Hanukkah menu are included. A terrific compilation of healthier preparations for traditional holiday foods, this is a cookbook that has it all--and that will be used long past the holidays. n Mary Whipple

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Many Wonderful Recipes, November 20, 2005

By	Beth (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

This book has many different takes on traditional holiday food plus many unique recipes that one might not usually consider when preparing their holiday feast. There is even a section that includes ideas for edible holiday gifts. I am a subscriber to Cooking Light magazine and own many of their other books, and the recipes never dissapoint. Everything I have made has been delicious. There are so many good recipes I had trouble narrowing down what recipes to make for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

One of my favorite recipes from this book is the Marbled-Chocolate Banana Bread. I plan on using this book year-round.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just a holiday cookbook!, January 29, 2006

By	TMM (Davenport, IA United States) - See all my reviews

This is a GREAT book! It has many, many different and interesting recipes that are not the same-old, same-old holiday fare. The suggested menus and wine pairings make it simple and undaunting to throw together a small or large party. And I love that a lot of the recipes list make-ahead components. The recipes included in this book are ones you can enjoy all year round. Don't wait for a holiday to try them!