Cookbooks for last-minute shopping
Red Velvet Donuts with Cream Cheese Glaze from “The Ultimate Kids’ Baking Book.” (Photo by Amy Phelps)
Donut Loaf from “Midwest Made.” (Photo by Amy Phelps)
Mushroom Bourguinon from the “Vegan Holiday Cooking” book. (Photo by Amy Phelps_
Red Velvet Donuts with Cream Cheese Glaze from “The Ultimate Kids’ Baking Book.” (Photo by Amy Phelps)
Donut Loaf from “Midwest Made.” (Photo by Amy Phelps)
Mushroom Bourguinon from the “Vegan Holiday Cooking” book. (Photo by Amy Phelps_
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Though it's almost time for the holidays, there is still time to get a gift for that special someone on your list. If you have a foodie or someone who enjoys cooking on your list, why not give a cookbook? Here are a few that just might fit the bill for someone on your list.
For those that have a love-affair with their slow cooker or those who want to get more use out of the tool there is "Fresh Flavors for the Slow Cooker" by Nicki Sizemore.
Sizemore is the creator of FromScratchFast.com, the author of "Build-a-Bowl" and hosts cooking classes and shows for Bluprint.
This is a collection of 77 recipes that are tailor-made for the slow cooker and will get home cooks thinking in a different way about the appliance.
There are five chapters of recipes: Vegetables; Chicken, Turkey and Pork; Beef and Lamb; Seafood; and Breakfast and Brunch.
Vegetable dishes include main dish meals like Thai Vegetable and Peanut Curry, Vegetable and Quinoa Chili and Garden Ratatouille.
Chicken, Turkey and Pork has recipes for Garlic-Lemon Whole Chicken with Fingerling Potatoes and Fennel and Parsley Pesto, Turkey Meatballs Subs and Spinach, Shaved Fennel and Parmesan Salad and Asian Pork Lettuce Wraps and Sesame-Scallion Sauce.
Beef and Lamb dishes include Braised Short Ribs with Gremolata and Creamy Parmesan Polenta and Lamb Ragu with Ricotta and Mint.
Seafood dishes include Slow-Cooked Cod and Tomato and Sweet Corn Salad and Green Curry Shrimp Noodle Bowls.
Breakfast and Brunch finishes up things with Overnight Pumpkin-Brown Rice Pudding and Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Shakshuka with Feta and Herbs.
I tried the French Toast Casserole for a breakfast-for-dinner option one night, as I am not a breakfast person early in the day. It uses challah bread in a french toast batter with brown sugar and pecans on top. I really liked the flavors that came together for this and it fed all of us. I would definitely try it again.
"Fresh Flavors for the Slow Cooker" is published by Storey. It is $18.95.
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If you have someone who is a vegan on your list, you may want to look at "Vegan Holiday Cooking" by Kristen Kaminski.
Kaminski is the founder of a vegan cooking blog, The Tasty K, and has collected 60 appetizers, entrees, sides and desserts that are meatless and dairy-free for many holidays.
The recipes are divided into holidays, like Christmas Feasts, Thanksgiving Eats, Easter Table and Festive Appetizers and Drinks.
Christmas Feasts include dishes like Mushroom Wellington with Gravy, Hearty Shepherd's Pie, Green Beans with Caramelized Onions and Chocolate Yule Log.
Thanksgiving dishes offer Stuffed Butternut Squash, Mac 'n' Cheese Bake and Spiced Pumpkin Cream Roll.
Easter dishes offer Vegan Egg Salad, Sweet Onion and Asparagus Quiche and Carrot Cake with Vanilla Cream Frosting.
Appetizers and Drinks offer Nutty Vegan Cheeseball, Creamy Pumpkin Latte and Cheesy Leek-Potato Soup.
Though I am not vegan, I made Mushroom Bourguinon one evening for myself and my husband. We both love mushrooms, so it seemed perfect for us. The sauce with the mushrooms was great, and we served it over mashed potatoes. If all vegan food tasted like this, I would be more apt to try it more often!
"Vegan Holiday Cooking" is published by Page Street Publishing. It is $21.99.
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For those who would like to teach their kids cooking is "The Ultimate Kids' Baking Book" by Tiffany Dahle, author of "The Ultimate Kids' Cookbook."
Dahle is the founder of the cooking blog, Peanut Blossom and has collected 60 dessert recipes that kids can tackle with a little help from an adult.
The recipes are divided into chapters by holidays as well as a chapter with safety, a basics baking school chapter and a chapter on how to host and plan a party.
Chapters of recipes include Sprinkle Party, Spring Parties, Summer Celebrations, Fall Fiesta and Winter Festivities.
Sprinkle Party celebrates birthdays with several different kinds of sweets like Confetti Cupcake Cuties, Epic Chocolate Layer Cake, Simply Sweet Sugar Cookies and Birthday Cake Popcorn.
Spring Parties celebrate the coming of nice weather with Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Brownies, Luck o' the Irish Chocolate Cupcakes, Dainty Daisy Cupcakes and Carrot Cake Donuts with Cream Cheese Glaze.
Summer Celebrations kick things off in warmer months with Strawberry Icebox Dessert, Father's Day Pretzel Bark, Pancake Donuts with Maple Glaze and Red, White and Blueberry Poke Cake.
Fall Fiesta gets spooky with Frosted Cranberry Bliss Bundtlettes, Apple Cider Donuts and Witch's Cauldron Brownie Bites.
Winter Festivities get marry with Gingerbread Cookie Cutouts, Spritz Cookies and Sparkle Cupcakes.
Because I am a red velvet fanatic and I have a donut pan, I made Red Velvet Donuts with Cream Cheese Glaze with the help of my teenagers. One mixed up the dry ingredients, one mixed up the wet ingredients and then I poured everything into the pan. After they cooled, the youngest helped me to make the icing and I iced them. These were soooo good! I loved them and would gladly have them make those again!
"The Ultimate Kids' Baking Book" is published by Page Street Publishing. It is $21.99.
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Celebrate the Midwest style of cooking with "Midwest Made" by Shauna Sever.
Sever is the author of "Pure Vanilla," "Marshmallow Madness" and "Real Sweet." In this cookbook, she collects 125 sweet and savory dishes straight from family and friends.
There are 11 chapters of recipes: Sweet Doughs, Pastries, Pie, Cookie Jar Contenders, Counter Cakes, Bars, Special Occasion Cakes, Summer Sweets, Savories, Winter Holidays and Elements.
Sweet Doughs has recipes for Swedish Flop, Coffee Caramel Monkey Bread and Real Deal St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake.
Pastries offers Danish Kringle, White Chocolate Cream Cheese Danish and Scone-Top Blueberry Muffins.
Pie has recipes for French Silk Pie, Lemon Angel Pie and Honeyed Raspberry and White Chocolate Cream Pie.
Cookie Jar Contenders has Monster Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle and Ginger Molasses Softies.
Counter Cakes offers Cinnamon-Sugared Pumpkin Chip Snack Cake, Caramel Apple Dapple Cake and Mom's Cherry Shortcake Squares.
Bars has recipes for Chocolate- Espresso Revel Bars, Scotch-a-Roos, State Street Brownies and Caramel Canvas Blondies.
Special Occasion Cake has recipes like Cleveland-Style Cassata Cake, Raspberry Poke Cake and Scott's Chocolate Cake.
Summer Sweets has Chocolate Eclair Dessert, Auntie Amy's Taffy Apple Salad and Angel Fluff.
Savories stops all the sweets with Garlicky- Butter-Swirled Pull-Apart Rolls, English Muffin Bread and Big Soft Pretzels.
Winter Holidays gets things festive with White Fruitcake, Gramma's Heirloom Sugar Cookies and Marshmallow Haystacks.
Elements ends things with fillings, jams and icings.
I made Donut Loaf one day, which is basically a pound cake made to taste like a donut and rolled in powdered sugar. As mentioned before, I love donuts and was excited to make this. But everyone else in my family also loved it and requested that I make it again. It's sweet, but not too sweet and is great for anytime you want a donut.
"Midwest Made" is published by Running Press. It is $30.
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Contact Amy Phelps at aphelps@newsandsentinel.com