Tasty Treats for Cold Winter Evenings

I don't know about you, but there's something about a cold, blustery day that makes me want to hunker down with an afghan, a mug of cocoa, and a freshly-baked cookie. To help us along in this quest, HCL has a fine collection of cookbooks, including the new Crazy About Cookies: 300 Scrumptious Recipes for Every Occasion and Craving by Krystina Castella. Just the cover alone is enough to make me want to pull out the mixing bowls and cookie sheets!

Gluten-Free

Do you happen to know anyone who has celiac disease, or some other sensitivity to wheat? Until fairly recently, it was difficult to find products that didn't contain some sort of gluten, as most common products contained at least a bit. So, when a person was told to steer clear of gluten, it seemed like the worst possible thing--no more pasta or cookies or cakes or pretzels or bread! Now, however, as more and more people are being diagnosed with sensitivities to wheat, there are more products and recipes to help them out. The Complete Gluten-Free Diet and Nutrition Guide by Alexandra Anca and Theresa Santandrea-Cull contains recipes, meal plans, food guides, and many other things to make life easier for those with celiac disease.

Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef by Shauna James Ahern and Daniel Ahern is a sequel of sorts to Shauna's book, Gluten Free Girl: How I Found the Food That Loves Me Back . . . And How You Can Too. Both titles are based on their popular blog, and their latest book is a love story of sorts. Shauna shares stories about how she fell in love with a chef and how he started to cook gluten-free meals at his restaurant. The recipes and techniques come from Daniel, and they look delicious!

Mouth-Watering Reads

While I may not always have the opportunity (or the pocket change) to dine in the finest restaurants, I often have the inclination to whip up some delicious feast at home. Lately, we've had a whole crop of cookbooks to satisfy the gourmet in all of us

When I lived in New York, I realized just how Midwestern casseroles are. It's not that the people there didn't know what casseroles were, they just never thought to make them. I was that weird girl who made casseroles (and who gained popularity once everyone realized how delicious casserole is). 9X13: The Pan That Can is a new cookbook from the folks at Better Homes and Gardens, and it is full of casseroles, cakes, side dishes, and many more dishes that "fit America's most popular pan." It's a pretty no-frills cookbook without a lot of photos, but the dishes that are pictured look positively delicious. This is real stick-to-your-ribs fare.

Speaking of sticking to your ribs, Morton's famous steakhouse has a new book, Morton's The Cookbook: 100 Steakhouse Recipes for Every Kitchen. Although different cuts of beef do take center stage in this colorful book, there are also recipes for seafood, pork, and side dishes. The truly wonderful thing about this particular cookbook is the clarity of the directions--any cookbook that contains the phrase "Take the veal out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes" is bound to be easy to follow.

Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen is a bit more complicated as a cookbook. Some of the ingredients would be difficult for the average cook to find, and although substitutions are always listed, even some of those seem rather exotic. However, the photography in this book is gorgeous. Foods that I don't even like looked mouth-watering and tempting and delicious. Check this book out just to drool over the photos and dream of going to Spain. Oh . . . and because it includes a recipe for Spanish hot chocolate, which is thick and delicious.

His many shows on the Food Network have made Bobby Flay a household name, and sometimes it's easy to remember that there's a reason for his fame. In his latest book, Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries & Shakes, Flay takes the quintessential American meal and puts a new spin on it. Using common ingredients in surprising combinations, he creates a certain excitement. Or maybe I'm the only one who gets excited by Plaintain Shoestring Fries and Greek Burgers.

And for those of who imbibe from time to time, there's The Essential Cocktail: The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks. This book has everything . . . the history of various drinks, recipes for basic cocktails, variations on classics, drinks you've never heard of, garnishes, and more. The instructions are easy to follow, too. Gorgeous color photographs complement this book, which I sort of want to read for the interesting stories about each drink.

And for those who prefer to find their recipes online, may I recommend The Amateur Gourmet? This blog, which is full of restaurant reviews and recipes culled from other sources, is both informative and entertaining. The author is an enthusiastic but (obviously) amateur cook, and he tries all the recipes before he posts them, so you will have a good idea about difficulty level and what might go wrong. The almond cake recipe he recommends is divine.