The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook

My copy is water crinkled, food stained and coming apart at the binding... the sign of a good cookbook. I have used this heavily over the years and love it dearly. It is not quite as good as the Silver Palate Cookbook though. If you have to choose, get that one first. Or, buy the pair. These two from Sheila and Julee are essential for inspiring the home cook.

This is the most used book in my kitchen. I love the seasonal approach, and always look at the book for dinner and entertaining ideas at the start of each season.Some of my favorites are Bobbies Roast Chicken (ginger, mustard, lemon, mmmm!), June's Apple Crisp, some of the unusual and festive winter vegetables dishes (how about Brussels sprouts with maple and walnut vinaigrette or the Ruby Radishes?). Christmas is very special indeed with the Red and Green Christmas Salad (spinach, avocado and pomegranates) with Warm Champagne Vinegar Dressing.Buy it, you will feel inspired to be more creative with your cooking!

The recipe for Chocolate Raspberry Cake alone is worth the price of this book.Then there's the St. Nicholas Cake, a fruity cake for the holidays and Eggnog French Toast and Lamb Stew with Lemon and Olives. Recipes have some unusual ingredients sometimes, but you can often track them down without too much trouble.The book is beautifully organized by the seasons. You'll find fancier illustrations elsewhere, but you won't find better recipes for entertaining. Rosse and Lukins developed these recipes for their shop in New York City and each one that I've tried is a hit. So many cookbooks have mediocre recipes but you can depend on this one.

This is a great accompaniment to the original Silver Palette Cookbook. The emphasis here is on entertaining, so the recipes are frequently more formal and serve larger quantities. The book is arranged seasonally with proposed menus (i.e. a Kentucky Derby party, mid-winter skiing holiday). You'll get great ideas for parties just looking through the book. Plus, there are lots of great tips on planning a party and cooking for a crowd. I particularly recommend the Broccoli-Watercress Soup - I return to it again and again as the definitive cream of broccoli soup. If you're not able to brine your Thanksgiving turkey (which is my personal favorite but very time consuming), the recipe and cooking method in this book is the next best thing. Also, their turkey saves better than any other I've tried. Martha Stewart has better pictures of entertaining in her cookbooks, but this book has the best recipes for entertaining and is the most practical for your typical cook.

This book contains some of the most creative and tasty food I've ever found in a cookbook. I like it even better than The Silver Palate Cookbook, mostly because I cook for special occasions but also because I've had better luck with the recipes. The book is arranged seasonally, with suggested menus for specific celebrations. This, along with the homey illustrations make it a staple in my kitchen. Oh, and try the Garlic and Arrugula soup, it is TO DIE!

Alright, these recipes are not nutritionally-correct. Many are high on fats and sugars. But when you want a special dish to really "wow" your guests, or to celebrate a special occasion, this is the book you'll turn to! Not only are the recipes great, but the sidebars have lots of useful tips for serving and entertaining. This is one of the two or three most used cookbooks in my collection!