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This time of year is something of a dichotomy, isn’t it? We’re trying to keep our resolutions for more healthful eating. At the same time, it’s good to turn on the oven to take the chill out of the house.
Brownies have been a yummy treat forever. But now, with fun cake decorating touches being added to everything, brownies are ripe for embellishing, too.

What’s your pleasure for brownies—gooey or cakelike, rich or plain, nutty or not? This new book by cookbook author and baker Annie Rigg covers all the bases.

In her “Simple” chapter, she dishes up a bevy of brownies, including Deep Dark Chocolate, Fudge Crumble, Salted Caramel Swirl, Peanut Butter and Jam, Marbled Cheesecake, and many more.

In the “Pretty” chapter, she kicks it up a notch with Cherry and Coconut, Petits Fours, Apricot and Almond, and Love Hearts, a fun variety. For an “Indulgent” take, she bakes up Coffee Blondies, Rocky Roadies, Hazlenut Praline, German Chocolate, and Gingerbread versions. In the “Kids” chapter, there are Brownie Whoppers (whoopie pies), Brownie Wheels, Brown(ie) Owls, and Brownie Cupcakes.

For toppers, there are icings galore. Take your pick from White Chocolate Buttercream, Chocolate Ganache, Milk Chocolate Frosting, Chocolate Glaze, and others.

Numerous photos give both simple and elegant ideas for jazzing up your brownies. Seasoned bakers and newbies alike will find some fun take-aways in this book.

(Ryland, Peters & Small, 2011, $15.95) – C.M.

Many cooks are familiar with the numerous Gooseberry Patch cookbooks, which are chock-full of tasty and practical recipes. This Collectors’ Edition book covers “everything Christmas” to help you sail through the holiday season.

The book features more than 400 recipes, plus home decorations, crafts, and food gifts for everyone on your list. You’ll find food ideas for hosting an open house, a family dinner, a soup supper, and casual snacks and drinks when friends stop by for some holiday cheer.

To help you keep your cool during the busy season, the back of the book offers a holiday guide for easy decorations and for 12 days of Christmas menus:

• To add sparkle to a centerpiece, use sugared fruit. Brush apples, pears, and plums with a thin mixture of meringue powder and water; roll fruit in coarse sugar and let dry.

• Throughout the year keep your eyes open at tag sales and flea markets for interesting tins and containers to package your holiday goodies to give as gifts. Vintage pie tins, mugs, jelly jars, and enamelware work beautifully.

• Turn cookies into edible place markers; just use frosting to write each guest’s name.

• For Christmas brunch, the menu includes Savory Ham and Swiss Breakfast Pie, Warm Spiced Fruit,
Citrus Coffee Cake, and Cinnamon Hot Chocolate—all the recipes are in the book.

Flavor is paramount, but so is convenience. The slow cooker section offers meal ideas to fix and let go while you do other things. A recipe sampler includes Shredded Beef BBQ, Smothered Steak, Jalapeño-Chicken Chili, Artichoke-Chicken Pasta, Chow-Down Corn Chowder, and Slow-Cooker Potato Soup (using instant mashed potato flakes).

For festive touches, there are ideas for Peppermint Candy Cheesecake, Cookies & Cream Cake, Soft
Gingerbread Cookies, and Chocolate Truffles. If you need a gift for a Christmas elf or for yourself, this
500-page-plus, one-stop holiday inspiration might be a good choice. (Oxmoor House/Time Home
Entertainment, Inc., 2008, $24.95) – C.M.

This new, useful cookbook focuses on one of the fastest-growing segments in nutrition, preparing nutritious food for people with celiac disease, and gluten’s effect on the immune system. The
real trick comes in trying to produce gluten-free meals that the whole family can enjoy.

A trio of creative family members—author and editor Carol Field Dahlstrom of Ankeny; her daughter, Elizabeth Dahlstrom Burnley, who teaches nutrition classes at Iowa State University in Ames; and her daughter-in-law, Marcia Schultz Dahlstrom, who lives with celiac disease—have produced a user-friendly book dealing with the issue. A principle was that the recipes would not call for odd and expensive ingredients.

The colorful book features step-by-step photos for help in creating successful dishes, tips for preparation and storage, and tips for using various flours—from bean flour, tapioca or rice flour, and a combination of various flours. Specific brands are recommended where necessary, along with directions for ordering them online. Brands of gluten-free flours vary widely.

There’s a helpful section on products containing gluten and a listing of specific items that are gluten-free. The back of the book includes helpful information for living gluten-free: tips and lists for eating out, including national restaurants that offer gluten-free choices; food safety tips; celiac websites; and helpful glossary of cooking terms.

Recipes the whole family can enjoy include a broad mixture—veggie pizza, potato-egg bake, beef stroganoff, lemon chicken with pea pods, stuffed pork chops, asparagus risotto, sweet potato fries, scalloped corn, fruit pasta salad, chicken salad, Waldorf salad, pineapple muffins, banana bread, cranberry-applesauce muffins, cinnamon rolls, chili, French onion soup, split pea soup, blonde brownies, peanut butter cookies, homemade marshmallows, spicy hummus, cheese quesadillas, apple crisp, strawberry pie, pumpkin custard, cake donuts, chicken nuggets, and buckwheat pancakes.
(St. Martin’s Griffin, 2011, $24.99) – C.M.

Remember when we were growing up and we had chips. Just. Plain. Chips. It was a royal treat to purchase some dairy dip for a special occasion.
     These days, however, it’s the rare chip, cracker, baby carrot, or broccoli floret that gets eaten without a dip of something attached to it. Dips come in myriad flavors and salsas in even more choices. 
     The danger, of course, is in overindulging when you aim to just be grazing. This book by Diane Morgan, who has written 14 cookbooks, takes a decidedly skinny approach to dipping with 60 recipes for dips, dunks, spreads, tapenades, salsas, and hummus.
     The book has a party planning section and a guideline with each recipe so that you know how far ahead you can make it and how to store it. For example, for a perennial favorite, Skinny Artichoke Dip, she says it can be prepared (without the bread crumb topping), covered, and refrigerated for up to two days before serving. So that you get maximum flavor for your efforts, Morgan offers a favorite chip and dip pairing for each recipe.
     The book covers the gamut of yummy dips, including vegetable and herb dips; salsas, guacamoles, and tapenades; cheese and tofu dips; bean and legume dips; and meat and seafood dips.
     To round out the equation of skinny dips, there’s a chapter on skinny dippers. There are recipes and tips on making your own crudités, roasted cauliflower or fingerling potatoes, grilled asparagus, bruschetta, crostini, as well as creating your own chip-style dippers: herbed cheddar cheese straws, baked pita chips, bagel chips, wonton crisps, tortilla chips, and marbled rye toasts.
     And, yes, to keep you in line, the dips and spreads have nutritional details in information boxes right alongside the recipes. (Chronicle Books, 2011, $18.95) —CM

Certainly one of the joys of pre-air-conditioned summertime was the treat of having a Popsicle. It still is. You don’t have to be a kid or even have a kid to enjoy one. You don’t even have to pretend. Really, it’s OK.

Of course, you can purchase a big-chill treat in the frozen food aisle at your supermarket. But you can make customized treats at home, too, another memory of growing up in a steamy climate. This new book offers some down-home and some upscale concoctions that are sure to cool you.

You’ll find classic ice pops made from juices and fruit purees. Or you can take your cues from some other tasteful combinations:
Sorbets—simple flavored sugar-syrup bases lightened with egg whites.
Granitas—more granular than sorbets because the mixture is beaten, not churned.
Sherbets—like sorbets, but with yogurt added.
Water ices—similar to sorbets, but denser and more intensely flavored.
Frappés—flavored fruit and sugar mixtures frozen and then pulsed in the food processor to make them smooth but thick.

You’ll need some classic or some new frozen pop molds with sticks and a freezer large enough to hold them. Today’s treats aren’t just the basic orange, grape, and cherry. The combinations seem endless.
There are lovely lickable recipes for Cranberry and Orange Juice Lollies; Mango, Berry and Passionfruit Lollies; and Maple Peach Frozen Yogurt Squares. Other grown-up treats include Mini Honey Kiwi Cups and Mixed Berry and Citrus Cones. How about a Pomegranate Granita, Watermelon Granita, or Blood Orange Water Ice? Upgrade your sherbet/sorbet repertoire by making Blueberry and Lemon Sorbet or Apricot and Grape Sherbet.

Other interesting combinations include Rhubarb and Ginger Frappé, Pink Grapefruit and Basil Frappé, and Mint Julep Sticks. Bottom line: new ways to chill! (Ryland, Peters & Small, 2011, $15.95) – C.M.

Kitchen Central in many Iowa homes moves outdoors this time of year. Many of us don’t have a complete outdoor kitchen, but that’s OK. The grill will do. It works on a patio, a deck, even a balcony (if it’s allowed).
     Most outdoor cooks have a definite preference when it comes to charcoal or
gas. Do you love the convenience of gas, or do you favor the smoky taste of
cooking over coals?
     There’s something primal about food and fire, and it’s hard to ignore the
wonderful aromas of cooking outdoors. This new book by editors at Ryland, Peters & Small offers more than 100 easy recipes, from burgers to chicken wings and from lamb to sea bass.
     For small or large groups, the sky is the limit, of course. Stay comfortable with brats, burgers, pork chops, and chicken breasts. Or take a grilled trip around the world with Moroccan-style Chicken Kabobs, Vietnamese Pork Balls, Sicilian-spiced Sea Bass, or Mexican-style Cornish Hens.
     To enhance your main-dish choices, the book offers a variety of marinades, sauces, butters, and salsas to add some flavorful pep to your meals. For meats, choose steak, ground beef, sausages, chicken, tuna steak, monkfish, ribs, shrimp, clams, scallops, and more.
     Experiment, too, with vegetable kabobs, falafel burgers, grilled corn, and
potato packages (regular and sweet potatoes). There are also lots of side dishes to accompany your grilled main dishes. You’ll find recipes for creamy coleslaw, salad with roasted sweet pepper and asparagus, pita salad, tabbouleh, couscous salad, and grilled polenta.
     And don’t forget that you can grill dessert, too. Besides s’mores, favorites of kids of all ages, there are recipes for grilled fruit packages, grilled figs, grilled pears, and banana packages with chocolate and rum. For beverages, try homemade fresh lemonade, peach and strawberry sangria, and cosmopolitan iced tea.
     Summer’s here. Get grilling! (Ryland, Peters & Small, 2011, $19.95) – C.M

This might be a little book, but it’s huge on flavor. As it points out, there’s just something magical about blending a few basic ingredients. Voila! The result that happens can keep you going all day.
What’s your pleasure? Scrumptiously virtuous or scrumptiously decadent? That’s exactly the beauty of muffins—they’re so simple and so complex. They can stand alone or accompany lots of other food. They’re great for breakfast, brunch, lunch, snacks, and dinner.

We usually think of the fruit-filled, sweet version of muffins, right? This book offers lots of that category. There are Blueberry & Apple Muffins, Berry Crumble Muffins, Apple Spice Muffins (with cream cheese frosting), Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Muffins, Jam Donut Muffins, and Triple Chocolate Chip.

If savory flavors are more your style to pair with soups and salads, you’re covered here, too. You’ll find Bacon, Onion and Cheddar Mini Muffins; Zucchini, Cheese and Herb Muffins; Chorizo and Cheese Muffins; and Cornmeal, Bacon and Herb Muffins. Not all muffins have that down-home flair. Add a bit of sophistication to a tea or party with Gingerbread Mini Muffins, Warm Chocolate Muffins, or Pear and Chocolate Muffins. (Ryland, Peters & Small, 2010, $9.95)—C.M.

Warming your space with the aroma of baking is fun, isn’t it? A winter weekend, when the stresses of the workweek can perhaps go on the back burner for a short time, is the perfect baking time. If you can bring a family member along for the tasty ride, then all the better.

Author Sarah Randell packs this colorful cookbook with a variety of 60 classic and original recipes that will help create memories in the kitchen. There are small cakes, muffins, tartlets, cookies, brownies, bars, and cheesecakes to get you started.

The baking experience gives small hands a chance to measure and mix, to taste-test and decorate. If you are new to the baking arena or a longtime baker, you’ll likely find a number of choices to try.

While the types of the baked goods might seem ordinary, the recipes themselves are not. Who could resist Crunchy-Topped Raspberry and Banana Muffins, Coffee and Pecan Cupcakes with Praline, Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecakes with Nutmeg Icing, and Mini Peanut Butter and Maple Refrigerator Cookies?
    
Just for fun for kids or for a party, try Bright-As-A-Button Cookies, complete with two holes in the middle for running colorful ribbon. You’ll find Pecan Cheesecake Swirl Brownies, too. Subtle Almond Cake is great for any occasion, as is Apple and Amaretto Cake. There’s even Really Lemony Gluten-Free Cake. The photos make the finished desserts look delicious. 
    
Treats such as Cinnamon Blueberry Cake or Chocolate Chestnut Brownie Torte seem to cry out for a dinner party or a neighborhood coffee to share the good taste.
    
As the author points out, “I’m not suggesting that children should eat cake every day, nor that we adults should, but quiet interludes in the kitchen can be just as absorbing for them as for us and highly rewarding. The time it takes to bake a cake is, in my experience, as enjoyable as eating it.” (Ryland, Peters & Small, 2010, $24.95)—CM

Serena Thompson and Teri Edwards, the Farm Chicks, can identify with lots of cooks. They love baking, junking, family life, and good, wholesome food. As frequent contributors to Country Living magazine, they share and live their mantra-Live Well, Laugh Often, Cook Much.

The book came out last year and just went into paperback, right on the heels of their new Christmas cookbook, The Farm Chicks Christmas: Merry Ideas for the Holidays. The pair got their start nationally with The Farm Chicks Antique Show near Spokane, Washington, where their homemade mini pies captured the hearts and palates of those attending. Needless to say, the entrepreneurs were born.

Both stay-at-home moms, they love spending time in the kitchen, and the book reflects their passion. Their down-home approach turned into easy, simple, and tasty recipes. A sampling includes Pumpkin Waffles, Tangy Cucumber Cups, Sweet Potato Soup, Asian Quinoa Salad, Pecan Chocolate Chip Shortbread, Toasted Turkey Melt, Orange Meringue Pie, and Grilled Cumin Chicken with Apricot Dipping Sauce.

In addition to 52 recipes, there are more than a dozen craft projects. How about aprons made from vintage sheets, a scone cozy, a magnetic message center fashioned from an old TV tray, yo-yo trims for just about anything, and vintage vases from all kinds of containers? There's also the lovely garnish of wisdom sprinkled throughout the book. (Hearst Books, 2010 paperback, $12 on Amazon.com; Christmas book, $27.95)-CM

If there’s ever a time of year when special occasions and holidays call for a little embellishment, it’s now. Festive year-end holidays, when families and friends gather, call for extra touches.

This book by author Annie Rigg, who has cooked for the likes of famous singers and bands such as Tom Jones, Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, and the Rolling Stones, offers colorful inspiration.

Even if you have never whipped up some buttercream icing or used a piping bag, Rigg takes you through the process in a step-by-step fashion. The Basics section addresses cookie doughs, cake batters, and decorating techniques. How about Chocolate Meringue Buttercream, Ganache, or Mascarpone Frosting?
    
The Cookies section walks readers through some basic everyday-style cookies,
such as Macaroons and Sugared Refrigerator Cookies, through some elegant Decorated Sunflowers, Russian Dolls, Stained Glass Cookies, and Monogrammed Wedding Cookies.
    
The selections in the Small Cakes chapter, such as Carrot Cake Cupcakes, can brighten a friend’s day, and marzipan hearts can decorate Red Velvet Valentine’s Cupcakes. Just for fun, there are Animal-Faced Cupcakes and Snowflake Cupcakes. Summer Berry Cupcakes and Snowmen in Scarves celebrate
the changing seasons and add whimsy to a party table.
    
Rigg’s Large Cakes, of course, can double as centerpieces. Embellishments such as sugar-paste roses can dress up even the plainest of cakes. Or crystallized berries can add pizzazz to a High Summer Cake. (Ryland, Peters & Small, 2010, $19.95) —CM

If you grew up in the Northeast, you are perhaps more familiar with whoopie pies than those in other parts of the country are. The lovely confections—the most popular is chocolate cake with vanilla marshmallow filling—also were known in various areas as scooter pies, round dogs, cream cakes, gobs, and moon pies.

While their history is a little murky, they are believed to have originated in Germany. They supposedly came to this country by the lovely baking hands of various German religious groups, such as the Amish, the Mennonites, and the German Brethren.

When children opened their lunch boxes at school and found these confections inside, they supposedly yelled “Whoopie!”

This fun and padded little book celebrates all that is whoopie pies. It is divided into two sections. One is cakes, and the other is creamy fillings. Please know that the combinations are almost endless. As examples, there are the Happy Pilgrim (pumpkin whoopie with maple filling), Fat Elvis (banana whoopie, salty peanut butter filling, with edges rolled in crumbled bacon), German Chocolate (chocolate whoopie, coconut cream filling, with edges rolled in toasted coconut and chopped pecans), and Piña Colada (lemon whoopie, coconut cream filling, with drained crushed pineapple and a maraschino cherry).

The cookbook, by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell, offers all kinds of decorating options and sprinkles ideas. There are also vegan and gluten-free options, so no one has to feel left out of the fun. While whoopies are generally small, there are directions for a big, cake-size whoopie for a special occasion. And lest you think all fillings are sweet, how about bacon-chive goat cheese filling?
If you are taking a nostalgic look at whoopies or exploring a newfound interest in the treats, this cookbook will offer inspiration. (Chronicle Books, 2010, $$16.95) —CM

The table of contents of this new book, In the Green Kitchen: Techniques to Learn by Heart, reads like Culinary 101. The sections offer lessons in such techniques as Dressing a Salad, Flavoring a Sauce, Whisking Mayonnaise, Poaching an Egg, Boiling Pasta, Shucking Corn, Roasting a Chicken, and Baking Fruit.

When you realize that the teacher is renowned chef Alice Waters, you know you’re in for
a great class. She opened Chez Panisse in 1971 and has continued to create dishes in her various restaurants by building meals around fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients long before farmers’ markets were the norm. In 1996 she created the Chez Panisse Foundation to create models of edible education in the public school system.

In this book she dishes up 50 essential recipes that use minimal equipment and focus on seasonal ingredients. She showcases recipes from such celebrated chefs as Rick Bayless, Lidia Bastianich, Charlie Trotter, Scott Peacock, and Thomas Keller. Waters introduces the cooking technique with easy instructions, chef portraits, and full-color food photography.

She emphasizes the basics. “The basic techniques of good cooking do not require a lavish kitchen or a lot of specialized equipment,” she writes. “Far from it. At home in their own kitchens, even the most renowned chefs do not consider themselves to be chefs; there, they are simply cooks, preparing the simple, uncomplicated food they like best.”

Earthy recipes in the book run the gamut from Guacamole and Potato & Leek Soup to Southern Buttermilk Biscuits and an open-face Apple Galette.

Proceeds from the book will benefit the Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, California, which engages children in growing a garden and learning where food comes from. (Clarkson Potter, 2010, $28) – C.M.

Summer is the perfect time for this sweet book. After all, who doesn’t love cones, sundaes, splits, shakes, malts, and all their trimmings—whipped cream, syrup, sauces, fruits, sprinkles, and, of course, a cherry on top.

You can, of course, purchase your favorite brand and flavors at the supermarket or a specialty ice cream shop. Or, just for the fun of it, you can make your own concoctions in old-fangled and new-fangled ice cream freezers and makers.

One chapter on fruity recipes offers classic Peach Melba Sundae, a tropical Hawaiian Sundae (yes, with little umbrellas), and a Melon Ball Sundae. If you’re feeling thin, try some indulgent variations—Chocolate Brownie Sundae, Peanut Butter Sundae, and Rocky Road Sundae.

If you have a retro bone in your body, relive the past with a classic Banana Split, Lemon Meringue Pie Sundae, Neapolitan Sundae, or Strawberry Shortcake Sundae.

And if you are an ice cream-loving kid at heart but an adult in your tastes, never fear. You can dip your spoon into Rum Raisin Sundae, Egg Nog Sundae, or a Black Forest Sundae laced with kirsch.

And we don’t know about you, but we just love all the fun ice cream glasses and long-handled spoons. (Ryland Peters & Small, 2010, $15.95)—C.M.

Chocolate cake is the perfect finale for a summer picnic. It has that classic quality of being the “just right,” all-American sweet treat. Come to think of it, though, it’s also the perfect ending to a holiday meal, a wedding or baby shower, a book club meeting, a bridge party, birthday or anniversary party, or a graduation gathering.

In this new cookbook, author Elinor Klivans covers all the bases. You’ll find 50 recipes for cakes in all shapes, sizes, flavors, and colors. There are rolled cakes, layer cakes, sheet cakes, loaf cakes, tube cakes, ice cream cakes, and tiered chocolate masterpieces filled with peanut butter mousse, frosted with truffle ganache, and topped with fat chocolate curls.

The author covers a wide swath in the world of chocolate cakes. There are cakes easily mixed, baked,
and assembled in a short time. There are others that take longer, and testers and tasters will agree they are worth the extra flourish.

She also thoroughly discusses types of chocolate and techniques for working with various kinds, along with tips on other ingredients. If you want to know how to make perfect shavings and curls, you’ll find directions here.

Apropos for a summer gathering is S’mores Cake, complete—of course—with graham crackers, broken chocolate bars, and a marshmallow topping. Perfect for a festive holiday buffet or sit-down meal is a Peppermint Patty Cake with a crushed candy garnish.

If you don’t have a sweet tooth, don’t panic. There are alternatives, including a Salted Caramel and Pecan Chocolate Cake.

For parties, Klivans offers interesting combination cakes: Affogato Ice Cream Cake, Fudge-on-Fudge Raspberry Ice Cream Cake, Coffee-Toffee Ice Cream Sandwich Cake, Mint Chocolate Crunch Ice Cream Cake, and Heart’s Desire White Mocha Tiramisu.

Cakes that don’t even look chocolate come through in Lemon-Coconut White Chocolate Cake and Deep-Dish White Chocolate Peaches-and-Cream Cake.

Other classics such as Devil’s Food Cake and interesting variations (take a look at Chinese Five-Spice Chocolate Chiffon Cake) make this a good reference to have on your shelf. (Chronicle Books, 2010, $22.95)—C.M.

Let them eat cake. That’s exactly what Melissa Gray, producer of National Public Radio’s All Things Considered program, did. Her cookbook, All Cakes Considered, chronicles her experiences of taking a cake to work every Monday for her co-workers. The subtitle says it all: How to Keep Your Co-Workers Happy, Friendly, and Fatter Than You.

She didn’t take up baking until she was 35 because she was busy going to school, working, and raising a son with her husband. She has never let her tiny galley kitchen get in the way of what she wanted to do.
Gray adapted recipes from her Southern upbringing and those from renowned cooks and chefs—such as Ina Garten, Paula Deen, Stephen Pyles, and Dorie Greenspan—into user-friendly recipes.

“There’s something about having cake at work that makes everybody happy, even the dieters who proclaim that you’re doing this just to torture them. It’s a communal thing and a sensory thing.”
Gray dislikes such analysis, so she says (a la Forrest Gump), “Momma says cake brings people together.” Besides, she says, “I can do without cake. What I’m hooked on is basking in the joy of simply giving people something delicious to look forward to.”

The book includes a cake for each Monday of the year; it’s part memoir and part how-to cookbook. Gray talks about the practicality of proper equipment, reading your recipe before you begin, and preparing a pan. There are step-by-step photos and techniques for getting a cake out of a pan, any pan. There is a glossary of types of flour, sugars, fats, and “other stuff”: cream of tartar, liquids, and leavenings.

Just for fun, Gray adds narratives for many of the cakes, such as what went wrong, what went right, or how the office mates seem to break into “favorite cake” groups—the People’s Pound Cake Coalition, the Chocolate Cake Caucus, or the Spice-and-Vice Alliance.

Some of the cake names will pique your interest: Procrastinatin’ Drunken Monkey Banana Bread, the Barefoot Contessa’s Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Tunnel of Fudge Cake, the Naughty Senator, Honey Spice Cake with Rum Glaze, Coconut/Not Coconut Cake, Red Velvet Cake, Chocolate Angel Food Cake, Dark Chocolate Peppermint Pattie Cake, Heaven and Hell Cake, and a host of others.
Gray encourages readers to “bring some homemade happiness into someone’s harried, modern life, and be not cowed by flour, butter, eggs, and sugar ever again.” (Chronicle Books, 2009, $24.95) —C.M.

It’s easy to take the slow cooker for granted. We might use it for several standard recipes that we turn to on extra-busy weeks or during a long weekend when we love the aromas wafting through the house. This super-thick cookbook by Diane Phillips is full of recipes for tasty dishes from soups to roasts to cobblers and puddings.

How about Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie, Butternut Squash Soup, Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Tortellini Casserole, and Tamale Pie? Not satisfied with just one version of classic Mac and Cheese, the book dishes up four varieties, including this one: Applewood Smoked Bacon, Caramelized Onion, and White Cheddar Mac and Cheese.

Main dishes aside, take a closer look at your slow cooker when it comes to side dishes. This often underutilized appliance is great for risotto, rice dishes, stuffing variations, and even grits. As for vegetables, choose from Refried Bean Casseroles, Ratatouille, Eggplant Parmigiana, Glazed Sweet Potatoes, Stuffed Onions, Stuffed Peppers, and Zucchini, Tomato and Leek Gratin among other great choices.

The collection doesn’t forget sweets. Consider a treat of Mexican Hot Chocolate Lava Cake. Yum. Other desserts offered range from Brandied Peaches and Amaretto Poached Pears to Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble and Apple Cranberry Cobbler. There are numerous bread and rice puddings to whet your sweet tooth as well.

As comforting as these dishes are in cooler weather, slow cookers take the heat out of the kitchen when it’s warmer as well.

For gatherings, put the slow cooker to work on Mulled Red Wine, Mulled Cider, Warm Cranberry Punch, or Wassail. For the appetizer table, there are versions of Artichoke Spinach Dip, Hot Broccoli Dip, Southwestern Chili con Queso, and Hot Bloody Mary Dip for Shrimp, and many others designed for the slow cooker.

Throughout the book, look for tips on choosing a variety of ingredients and spices, along with “savvy tips” at the bottom of many pages for easy ways to get the results you want on various dishes. (Chronicle Books, 2009, $24.95)– C.M.

Tummy-satisfying breakfasts seem to mean a little more in the winter, when the windchill index numbers cause us to face reality on a daily basis. Whether you’re a breakfast grabber on the way out the door or you have time to warm the kitchen with wonderful aromas, this new book has something for you.
     Stonewall Kitchen, of course, is a restaurant and cooking school in York, Maine, known for its line of jams, sauces, and baking mixes, available at its own retail shops on the East Coast and in other specialty shops around the country.
     For grabbers, there are recipes for Coffee Cake Buttermilk Muffins, Perfectly Good Granola Bars, and Peach, Sour Cream, and Crystallized Ginger Muffins. When there’s more time for a sit-down meal, Good-for-You Whole-Grain Blueberry Pancakes or Spinach, Feta, and Tomato Frittata might fill the bill.
     If you are planning a weekend brunch for friends, the options are many. How about Berry Salad with Minty Syrup, Chocolate Waffles, French Crepes, Breakfast Corn Fritters, Breakfast Crab Cakes, or Greens, Sausage and Cheddar Breakfast Strata?
     Throughout the book are tips for poaching eggs, setting up a yogurt bar, and other useful information. There’s also a section on serving beverages, such as Stonewall Bloodys and Blood Orange Mimosas. To make planning really easy, there are a number of menu plans for ideas. The book is by Jonathan King and Jim Stott, founders of Stonewall, and by cookbook author Kathy Gunst. (Chronicle Books, 2009, $19.95) – C.M.

It’s easy to get caught up in the food of the special holiday season. For favorite candies, cookies, bars, and breads, we rely on tradition, those goodies that remind us of holidays when we or our children were younger. It just isn’t Christmas without some of those special treats.

     This new book, Better Homes and Gardens® Christmas From the Heart, is like a Christmas stocking filled with holiday treasures. If you agree that chocolate and the holidays go together like trees and tinsel, you’ll love the chapter full of tasteful ideas: Brownie Surprise Cupcakes, Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Sauce, Coffee Mallow Torte, Merry Mocha Pound Cake, Chocolate-Peppermint Pie, and Triple-Orange Nutty Fudge.

     If you need to add some new recipes to your cookie repertoire, you are in luck. Classic and contemporary choices are easy to incorporate into your baking style.

Spicy Ginger Hearts and Spritz give a nod to tradition, while Orange Crouton Cookie Bites, Butter Pecan Stars, and Cherry-Pistachio Spice Shortbread encourage you to try some new ideas.

     The book, edited by Carol Field Dahlstrom of Ankeny, is chock-full of holiday trims to add festive touches to your table and your entire home. Chapters on gifts take you through step-by-step instructions for thoughtful gifts you can make for friends and family.

     To order, call 800-627-5490. (Meredith Books, 2009, $15.96 plus tax and shipping) – C.M.

This time of year it’s easy to blend Iowa’s four distinct seasons. Take the fruits and veggies of summer and fall and turn them into good tastes for winter and into next spring. And don’t forget holiday gifts, always better when they’re special homemade goodies.

Our foremothers, of course, put up pickles, preserves, chutneys, and cordials out of necessity. With no freezers at home (remember the trips to the family storage unit at the local locker plant?), mothers, grandmothers, and aunts met to can and preserve nearly everything on hand for the larder for winter.
  
This new book, Fruits of the Earth, offers 100 recipes for flavorful jams, jellies, pickles, and preserves. Make them to hoard as the jewels of summer. Or tie on a pretty ribbon and give them as a lovely gift. Perhaps you harvest from your own garden; if not, don’t worry. Late-season farmers’ markets still offer some choices to work with. If you are lucky, perhaps you froze some of summer’s berries or other fruits that you can work with now.
  
Besides the satisfaction of seeing a beautiful row of jars of food you have preserved, what’s better on a cold winter morning than warm toast slathered in your favorite jam or jelly? Or how about this—lemon curd over pound cake or ice cream or as filling for little tarts?
  
In these parts, it’s all about preserving summer and autumn in a jar, especially when we know what’s ahead. (CICO Books, 2009, $24.95) – C.M.

In these parts, we know all too well just how hot and sticky the dog days of summer can be. Is it the heat or the humidity? Many days it is hard to tell where one stops and the other starts.

A tall frosted glass of (you fill in the blank) is the best way to approach the situation. In this new book, Cool Drinks for Hot Days, author Louise Pickford makes an interesting point: Many cold drinks came about as a refreshing alternative to their hot counterparts, such as tea and coffee. One of the first references for iced tea appeared in the Kentucky Housewife in 1839.

Because their main purpose is cooling us down, many refreshing drinks have no alcohol. That opens up the field to mocktails, cordials, fruit syrups, slushes, smoothies, and granitas.

In this cool-looking book, you and your blender can tackle such refreshing concoctions as Melon Frothy, Blueberry Cordial, Iced Pear Sparkle, Passion Fruit Rum Punch, Mint Juleps, and Classic Margaritas. Be adventurous and try a Mojito Slush, Brazilian Mule, Long Island Iced Tea, or a Lemon Cheesecake Shake. The possibilities seem endless. (Ryland, Peters & Small, 2009, $16.95)—CM

Central Iowans are well aware of the charm and good tastes to come from farmers’ markets. They are not only social events but also the source of wonderful homegrown produce and goods. This new book, broken down by seasons, celebrates the fruits and vegetables that are available at weekly markets. Janet Fletcher’s update of her previous one makes an easy case for choosing the freshest, tastiest, and most beautiful food available.

As chef Alice Waters from Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, writes in the introduction, “To my way of thinking, the proliferation of farmers’ markets is the single most important and heartening development in this country in my lifetime.”

The book celebrates fresh bounty, purchased directly from the growers, in 75 recipes. Where else can you likely find 20 different tomato varieties, a dozen different apples, or a wide variety of cucumbers? The diversity of produce is a delightful draw, and where else can you sample before you buy? (Chronicle Books, 2008, $19.95)—CM